Export stakeholders vow closer coordination for growth

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine exporting community has vowed to work closely together to address prevailing concerns in the sector.

Officials from the Department of Trade and Industry, the Export Development Council and the Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc. signed wednesday on the sidelines of the National Export Congress 2016 an agreement to accelerate the sector’s growth in the coming years.

“We, the exporting community commit to transform the Philippines into a strong, productive, competitive, and innovative exporting nation by implementing a comprehensive domestic and export development plan,” the agreement stated.

Members of the exporting community from the government side also committed to remove unnecessary regulatory impediments to the delivery of goods and services as well as subject all proposed regulations to regulatory impact assessment.

They also committed to rationalize fees and taxes related to export of goods and services.

Both the private sector and the government, meanwhile, vowed to raise productivity of Philippine enterprises by investing in appropriate training to match the skills needed by the industry as well as address pressing concerns in the country’s infrastructure.

A commitment towards improvement in access to finance was also made, under which more financial services catering to the start-up community will be created.

 “As we diversify our markets, and urge our exporters to innovate products and services, we are keen on having positive growth in the coming months,” DTI Export Marketing Bureau director Senen Perlada said.