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The Department of Information and Communications Technology has seen a significant increase in the issuance of Authority to Operate to private express and/or messengerial delivery service operators following the shift from manual to a fully online registration process
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Since the implementation of the PEMEDES online portal, DICT in a statement said it has already issued 56 ATOs in a span of about three months
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Only 10 to 12 ATOs were issued annually under the old system due to manual processing constraints
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The submission and processing of PEMEDES through the online portal was implemented through DICT’s new rules of practice and procedure for PEMEDES under DC No. HRA-005
The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) has seen an increase in the issuance of permits to private express and/or messengerial delivery service (PEMEDES) operators following the shift from manual to a fully online registration process.
Since the implementation of the PEMEDES online portal, DICT in a statement said it has already issued 56 Authority to Operate (ATO) in a span of approximately three months.
Under the old system, DICT said it used to issue only 10 to 12 ATOs annually due to manual processing constraints.
DICT said the improvement in the issuance of ATO demonstrates “the positive impact of digitization and reinforcing the government’s commitment to more efficient, transparent public service.”
“This shift from paper-based submissions to an end-to-end digital system has enhanced transparency, reduced processing delays, and made compliance more convenient for courier and delivery service providers nationwide,” DICT added.
Private Express and Messengerial Association of the Philippines president Alma Rias earlier said the industry has been requesting the automation of registration to also allow operators in the provinces easy access since there are limited regional offices of DICT.
Implementation of the PEMEDES online portal, which serves as DICT’s one-stop shop for all PEMEDES and messenger work license applications, is pursuant to DICT Department Circular (DC) No. HRA-005 series of 2025 that took effect in September 2025.
DC No. HRA-005 provides DICT’s new rules of practice and procedure for PEMEDES issued “to improve governmental regulation of the postal delivery services industry and domestic postal commerce.”
It orders that all applications for ATO PEMEDES should be verified and submitted online through DICT’s official portal.
DICT said the new rules is also pursuant to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to accelerate digitalization and improve ease of doing business, and guided by DICT Secretary Henry Aguda’s vision of “Walang Iwanan sa Digital Bayanihan.”
Under Presidential Decree No. 240, express and/or messenger delivery firms may not operate in the country without securing an ATO issued by the DICT through Republic Act (RA) No. 7354 (Postal Service Act of 1992) and RA No. 10844 (Department of Information and Communications Technology Act of 2015).
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