Gov't rightsizing to start in 2026

Trimming bureaucratic fat or government rightsizing could start as early as next year once the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the newly enacted Government Optimization Act are completed within the year.

- BY BEN ARNOLD DE VERA

"We intend to have the implementing guidelines and other policies issued within this year, then the Committee on Optimizing the Executive Branch (COEB) will have one year from the issuance of the IRR to do the strategic review and study of the bureaucracy," Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Assistant Secretary Leonido J. Pulido III told Manila Bulletin on Wednesday, Aug. 27.

Republic Act (RA) No. 12231, or the Government Optimization Act, signed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. early this month, created the inter-agency COEB to oversee the government optimization program (GOP).

The COEB will be composed of the Executive Secretary as chair, the DBM Secretary as co-chair, and the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev) Secretary, the Civil Service Commission (CSC) Chairperson, the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) Director-General, and a government employee representative as members.