Malacanang expressed confidence on Thursday that the Philippines' ranking on ease of doing business will improve with President Rodrigo Duterte's political will to effect changes in the bureaucracy.

In a press briefing, Acting Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said the Duterte administration is taking "very seriously" the results of the World Bank-International Finance Corporation's Doing Business Report 2018, which showed the Philippines' ranking falling by 14 notches to 113th out of 190 economies from 99th last year.

"We will take this report very seriously and I think the President has shown a political will to get things done and I’m sure that this report will be a reason for us to further innovate and make sure that doing business in the Philippines will become easier," he said.

With the effort of the Duterte government, he said when the World Bank's new report comes out next year, there will be an improvement on the Philippines' ranking.

"But I am sure, the president, in November of next year, would want to see a substantial improvement regardless of whatever reasons the Department (of Trade and Industry) may have to justify the standing of the Philippines," he said.

"I assure you. Things will move in DTI to make it easier for individuals to invest," he added.

Meanwhile, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia, in a statement, assured businesses that the government is working hard to institute reforms and help improve the business climate in the Philippines.

The government is eyeing the “single-window approach” instead of establishing a one-stop shop or co-location of government agencies which the government was earlier pushing for.

“We are not satisfied with a single-stop shop approach. We want to have a single-window approach so that the processing of permits and business applications will be faster,” Pernia said at a press briefing chaired by DTI Secretary Ramon Lopez and the government's senior officials in Makati City.

With the single-window approach, businesses will only have to submit all documents to one government representative or office which will handle all related processes from there, a statement from the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) said. Celerina Monte/DMS