Tacloban City (November 25) -- Tanauan is by far, the lone local government unit in Eastern Visayas that is already connected electronically with the Philippine Business Registry.

Mr. Whilner Morales informed the Philippine Information Agency that Tanauan has been linked with the PBR since the first quarter of 2009. In fact it was the first municipality in the country to have done so.

The business registrants from Tanauan can print the PBR application form and need not fill up separate forms at the participating agencies.

Recently, the Cities of Muntinlupa and Marikina and the Municipality of Orion in Bataan were connected electronically with the Philippine Business Registry (PBR). In so doing, they have just empowered their constituents to lodge their applications for new businesses on-line with the DTI, Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and their Business Permit and Licensing Office (BPLO).

The other local government units, now connected with the PBR are Bacolod City, Negros Occidental; Batangas City; Bayawan City in Negros Oriental; Cabuyao Laguna; Calamba City; Caloocan City; Candon City in Ilocos Sur; Guiguinto, Bulacan; Iligan City in Lanao del Norte; Malabon City; Malaybalay City in Bukidnon; Mandaluyong City; Muntinglupa City; Paranaque City; Quezon City; Rosales, Pangasinan; Tacurong City in Sultan Kudarat City; and Taguig City.

The Philippines Business Registry (PBR) is a web-based I.T. system that will eventually allow the online filing of applications for business registration, business permits and licenses, and business dissolution using a single data entry facility, with links to the systems of national government agencies and local government units (LGUs).

The PBR is envisioned to facilitate a seamless transactional environment for business registration and facilitation with all the concerned agencies through the development of a web-based portal that is akin to the business portals of other countries.

One of the key features that will be embedded in this portal is the web-based registry for all business entities registered in the country (i.e., sole proprietorships, partnerships, corporations, profit and non-profit organizations, and cooperatives).

The first aim of the Philippine Business Registry is to create a national business registry database. Since various agencies have different processes related to business registration, each agency runs a system of their own that is independent from all other systems of other agencies. PBR shall integrate information from various databases of these agencies in order to provide a service for easier business registration to the public as well as easy verification of data provided by the business entities.

Secondly, the PBR hopes to harmonize business registration by assigning a unique Philippine Business Number (PBN) to each registered business entity. The number will be unique for all business entities in the country. PBN will serve as their identification key to contract and avail various good and services. This will improve the regulatory and promotional functions of the government.

Thirdly, the PBR aims to facilitate business transactions among government agencies and the business sector by providing a single-window online transaction processing system.

The single-window online transaction processing system will in some way or another harmonize business registration systems of various agencies as the registrants need not physically go to various agencies or access different online systems of agencies to register.

Hence, this is seen to aid business transactions by facilitating paperless transactions and eliminating repetitious submission of the same information to government agencies. This will harmonize business registration systems.

The other local government units, now connected with the PBR are Bacolod City, Negros Occidental; Batangas City; Bayawan City in Negros Oriental; Cabuyao Laguna; Calamba City; Caloocan City; Candon City in Ilocos Sur; Guiguinto, Bulacan; Iligan City in Lanao del Norte; Malabon City; Malaybalay City in Bukidnon; Mandaluyong City; Muntinglupa City; Paranaque City; Quezon City; Rosales, Pangasinan; Tacurong City in Sultan Kudarat City; and Taguig City.