Atty. Ernesto V. Perez, CPA is the Director General, with the rank of Secretary, of the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA), an agency attached to the Office of the President created by Republic Act (RA) No. 11032 or the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018, which amended RA 9485 or the Anti-Red Tape Act of 2007. Director General Perez took his oath and assumed office as head of ARTA on 14 November 2022. He was also the first appointed official (Deputy Director General) of ARTA in 2018 and spearheaded the operationalization of the agency and the development of its major initiatives.
Prior to ARTA, he was the Assistant Secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) – Consumer Protection Group. He served in a concurrent capacity as OIC-Director of the Bureau of Philippine Standards where he promulgated the development of 108 new standards and revision of 151 Philippine National Standards aligned with the international standards of ISO/IEC and good regulatory practices of the World Trade Organization. He likewise served as Chairperson of the DTI-Steel Task Force where he led the investigation of the biggest steel importation in the country. Director General Perez was a litigation lawyer for almost thirty (30) years prior to joining government service.
He obtained his law degree from the Ateneo Law School and was among the top 15 in the 1986 bar exams. He acquired his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration Major in Accountancy from the University of the Philippines – Visayas in 1980 and passed the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) Board examination in the same year.