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The Bureau of Customs and Land Transportation Office were included in the Anti-Red Tape Authority’s list of 10 most complained national government agencies from January to October 2025
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LTO was in second spot, with 414 complaints received by ARTA during the period
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BOC placed 10th with 63 complaints
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Most common violations recorded were failure to render government services within the prescribed processing time on any application or request without due cause
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ARTA noted that “the published figures do not measure agencies’ competency or incompetency” but instead reflect ARTA’s verification process to ensure that government agencies deliver services efficiently and effectively
The Bureau of Customs (BOC) and Land Transportation Office (LTO) were included in the Anti-Red Tape Authority’s (ARTA) list of 10 most complained national government agencies from January to October 2025.
LTO was in second spot, with 414 complaints received by ARTA during the period. BOC placed 10th with 63 complaints, according to a statement by ARTA.
The list was the result of complaints filed through ARTA’s various channels, including email (complaints@arta.gov.ph), official social media pages, the Public Assistance and Complaints Desk, physical mail, the electronic Complaints Management System, and the ARTA website.
ARTA said the most common violations recorded involve Section 21(e) of Republic Act (RA) No. 11032 or the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018. This section covers the failure to render government services within the prescribed processing time on any application or request without due cause.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) topped the list with 599 complaints. Of these, 412 were determined to be outside ARTA’s jurisdiction based on initial assessment and were endorsed for action to the appropriate office. Meanwhile, 187 were classified as “ARTAble”, which mostly involve delays in processing or failure by the FDA to act within the prescribed processing time.
Out of the total 599 complaints, 570 have already been acted upon and are now marked as closed in the ARTA database, while 29 remain active and are still undergoing assessment and review for proper classification if within ARTA’s jurisdiction or not.
For LTO’s 414 complaints, 407 have been closed while seven are still active with one under formal investigation.
For BOC, 61 of the 63 cases have been closed, with two still on active status.
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The other most complained national agencies for the period ranking third to ninth were:
- Bureau of Internal Revenue – 336 complaints, 330 closed, six active
- Philippine Statistics Authority – 205 complaints, 200 closed and three remain active
- Land Registration Authority – 193 complaints, 181 closed, four active cases
- Department of Environment and Natural Resources – 140 complaints, 131 closed, 19 active cases
- Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development – 128 complaints, 127 closed, one active case
- Department of Foreign Affairs – 82 complaints, 79 closed, three active cases
- Securities and Exchange Commission – 73 complaints, 70 closed, three active cases
For government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs), the Social Security System received the highest number of complaints at 269, of which 261 cases were closed while eight are still active. The commonly received violation also falls under the Section 21(e) of RA 11032.
The 2nd to 10th most complained GOCCs for the period were:
- Home Development Mutual Fund (Pag-IBIG) – 134 complaints, of which 130 closed, and four are active
- Government Service Insurance System – 37 complaints, 35 closed, two active cases
- Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas – 35 complaints – 35 complaints, 33 closed, two active cases
- Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) – 32 complaints, all closed
- Philippine Postal Corp. (PhilPost) – 25 complaints, 24 closed, one active case
- National Housing Authority – 21 complaints, 20 closed, one active case
- Land Bank of the Philippines – 18 complaints, 17 closed, one active
- Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System – 11 complaints, all closed
- Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office – nine complaints, all closed
ARTA said the criteria used in determining the top 10 most-complained national government agencies were based solely on the total number of complaints received by ARTA, including those reported or filed through its eight regional field offices. The list for the top 10 most-complained GOCCs, meanwhile, reflect only the total number of complaints received from the National Capital Region.
From 2018 to October 31, 2025, ARTA said it received a total of 31,936 complaints. Of these, 31,679 or 91.99% have been resolved, while 257 remain active. ARTA said this closure rate underscores its commitment to act swiftly and decisively on complaints involving inefficiency and delay.
ARTA noted though that “the published figures do not measure agencies’ competency or incompetency.”
“Instead, they reflect ARTA’s verification process to ensure that government agencies deliver services efficiently and effectively. The data also serve as checkpoints drawn from citizens’ feedback, guiding ARTA in determining the appropriate course of action to support agencies in improving their daily operations,” ARTA noted.
It added that the lists are “a mirror of challenges that must be addressed, not a verdict of failure.”
It said the lists also show that the redress mechanism is alive.
“Government agencies are open to public scrutiny, and people are empowered to call out inefficiencies and violations. ARTA recognizes that red tape is not simply inefficiency. It is a systemic challenge often intertwined with corruption. When processes are prolonged or obstructed, opportunities for bribery and abuse of discretion arise. Red tape delays progress, discourages investment, erodes public trust, and undermines competitiveness,” the agency said.
ARTA said it is ready to capacitate should there be a shortage on the part of the most complained agencies. It also calls on all government agencies and GOCCs to redouble, if not, recalibrate efforts in improving frontline services.
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