The Executive is supposed to actually get the job done, make things happen.

But many times it doesn’t. Which is rather ironic.

Why? Because by its very name, the most powerful branch of government is the one mandated by the Constitution to “execute” what the laws passed by Congress say needs to be done according to the sovereign will of the people through their congressional representatives.

Thankfully, Congress has the power to compel the Executive department do things once it approves a bill into a law.       

Still, short of bullying the administration into doing what should be an ordinary course of business, two lawmakers made their call “loud and clear” to further boost economic activities in the country.

Cagayan Rep. Jack Enrile urged the government to be more aggressive in improving the ease of doing business in the country.

Aurora Rep. Juan Edgardo Angara echoed Enriles’ sentiment as she  called for a “culture of efficiency” in both public and private sectors.

The two lawmakers made the call in the wake of a recent survey ranking the Philippines 148th out of 183 countries in terms of ease of doing business.

Enrile said the government should look at what “business-friendly” economies in the region – such as Singapore, Hong Kong, and Thailand – are doing and benchmark local reforms against the processes in these countries.

“We are clearly lagging behind our regional neighbors not only in the ease of doing business but in overall economic competitiveness. This should serve as a wake-up call to our government to look at our existing regulations that are restricting business activity and address areas that are already actionable,” he was quoted by a major broadsheet as saying.

“Improving ease of doing business, for both foreign and domestic investors, is one area that is ripe for reform and one that has a high impact potential. It is even more crucial, given the current slowdown in the economy that is validated by recent economic growth forecast downgrades,” the Cagayan solon said.

Angara said government agencies and officers, including local government units, and private companies can start contributing to improving business environment in the country by being efficient.

“We have to create a business environment that truly welcomes and protects our investors, whether domestic or foreign. Let us not scare them away by having to go through a maze of procedures. Investments translate to jobs for our fellow Filipinos. Thus, foregoing a business deal is like shutting the door to our very own countrymen who are looking for decent jobs and better lives,” she said.

In the 2011 Ease of Doing Business Index study conducted by the International Finance Corp. and the World Bank, the Philippines ranked 148th out of 183 countries. The country placed 144th in 2010 and 141th in 2009.

In terms of starting a business, it ranked 156th with 15 procedures to go through while Singapore, which ranked fourth, requires only three procedures.

And we agree absolutely: The country can never compete effectively in a globalized business environment with such a deep-seated inefficiency.