Philippines' 'Green Lane' Program Cuts Red Tape, Shortens Project Permits by 11 Days

MANILA, Philippines — Projects covered by the government’s “green lane” program are getting permits about 11 days faster than usual, helping strategic or nationally significant investments move closer to implementation. Latest data from the Board of Investments (BOI) showed that, based on 122 permits and licenses processed, the average processing time under the green lane program stood at 7.67 days. That is about 60 percent faster than the 19.12-day processing time prescribed under the Citizen’s Charter. According to the BOI, the Philippines’ top investment promotion agency, the shorter timeframe proved the “initiative’s success in accelerating government approvals, reducing administrative delays and improving the ease of doing business for strategic investments.” As of August, the country’s pipeline of green lane projects stood at P6.36 trillion, unchanged from July. Of that amount, 70 percent, or P4.46 trillion, came from domestic investments. Among foreign investors, Denmark accounted for 7.42 percent of the pipeline, followed by Singapore at 5.81 percent and the Netherlands at 5.78 percent. As in previous months, renewable energy continued to dominate the pipeline, accounting for more than four-fifths, or 85.8 percent, of the total. This comprised 187 projects worth P5.46 trillion that are expected to create 276,469 jobs. Even as the overall pipeline held steady, the BOI again recorded renewable energy project exits, with 10 projects worth a combined P137.47 billion dropped from the list. Digital infrastructure projects recorded a combined investment value of P405.12 billion across 10 projects. Also in the green lane pipeline are six big-ticket public-private partnership, infrastructure and water projects worth P416.75 billion. Overall, the BOI expects projects in the green lane pipeline as of end-August to generate 425,454 jobs. But only 23 projects worth P286.17 billion were operational as of end-August. These were concentrated mainly in digital infrastructure, followed by renewable energy and food security. The largest share remained in the predevelopment stage, comprising 166 projects worth P5.52 trillion. INQ