by admin | Mar 23, 2017 | ASEAN agenda, DTI Updates, Headlines, World
Investments among the 10 member States of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is expected to significantly increase, and linkage among ASEAN micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) with ASEAN and global multinational enterprises (MNEs) to further strengthen, as the regional bloc’s Coordinating Committee on Investments (CCI) in its 69th Meeting in Manila recently agreed to push the Focused and Strategic Action (FAST) Action Agenda on Investment as among the Committee’s priority deliverables for the year.
Aligned with the four pillars of the ASEAN Comprehensive Investment Agreement (ACIA) namely investment promotion, facilitation, protection, and liberalization, the FAST Action Agenda is composed of four key deliverables.
The CCI is ASEAN’s technical body tasked to oversee the implementation of the ACIA since its effectivity in 2012. ACIA serves as the regional bloc’s instrument in support of the ASEAN Economic Community’s goal of free flow of investments in the context of an integrated ASEAN community. The Philippine Board of Investments (BOI), being the country’s lead for CCI, serves as host for the 69th CCI Meeting.
The first action agenda is focused on ASEAN-wide assessment of the outstanding issues on Trade Related Investment Measures (TRIMS) where the key deliverable for the year is a document identifying the TRIMS plus elements that ASEAN may commit and adopt as a common ASEAN’s negotiating strategy.
The second action agenda is focused on linking MSMEs with MNEs where the key outcome are possible letter of intents (LOIs) and business collaboration between ASEAN MSMEs and MNEs. For this year, the Philippine will host the outbound mission from ASEAN where a conference and business meetings will be undertaken.
“Our goal is to showcase MSMEs as possible suppliers of products and services to MNEs. As we encourage them to strategically enhance their productivity, we will open up more opportunities for them to participate in the regional and global value chains,” said BOI Executive Director Ma. Corazon Halili-Dichosa, who also served as the Philippine Head of Delegation to the CCI.
During the meeting, it was discussed that Philippines will host a conference where MSMEs and MNEs from all over the region will participate which includes business matching, wherein possible linkages and agreements may be forged. As part of the preparation for the event, ASEAN Members States (AMS), have agreed in the 69th CCI Meeting to identify possible MNE participants to facilitate the identification of focused sectors and MSMEs who will participate in the business matching activity.
MSMEs are considered one the key drivers of economic growth across many regions of the global economy, including ASEAN. These firms account for 95 to 99 percent of all business establishments and are responsible for 51 to 97 percent of employment among AMS. In terms of GDP share, MSMEs account between 23 to 58 percent of any AMS economy. With the significant contribution of these firms on income and employment generation, CCI considers MSMEs as the backbone of the ASEAN economy.
The third action agenda is focused on the assessment on the establishment of an ASEAN Investment Tribunal.CCI has recognized the need to do the said assessment given the numerous investment agreements that ASEAN had entered into and the need to have consistency and predictability in the interpretation of ASEAN investment agreements.
Finally, the fourth action agenda is focused on an in-depth assessment of the business registration requirements among ASEAN in support of the investment facilitation goal of ACIA.
“Ease of doing business through facilitation of business registration in any AMS will significantly contribute in making the region a more attractive investment destination. An in-depth assessment of the business registration requirements of AMS will support and contribute to ACIA’s key objectives of increasing intra-ASEAN investments,” said Executive Director Dichosa.
Intra-ASEAN investments continue to significantly contribute to the investment inflows in ASEAN. In 2015, intra-ASEAN investments’ share to total investment inflows rose to 18.5% from 17% in 2014. Intra-ASEAN investment reached US$22.2 billion in 2015.
For more information on the services of the DTI, log-on to http://www.dti.gov.ph
by admin | Mar 20, 2017 | DTI Updates, Headlines, National News
In line with the administration’s agenda of advancing the micro, small and medium enterprises, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Ramon Lopez announced the nationwide schedule of the Kapatid Mentor ME for 2017.
The Kapatid Mentor ME Program aims to assist MSMEs scale up and sustain their businesses through weekly coaching and mentoring by business owners and practitioners on different functional areas of entrepreneurship. it is a joint program of DTI and the Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship – Go Negosyo.
“With our strong desire to help the country’s MSMEs and provide jobs to Filipinos, DTI and PCE-Go Negosyo conceptualized the Kapatid Mentor ME Program to serve as the entrepreneurs’ guide to a globally competitive enterprise,” DTI Secretary Ramon Lopez said.
The trade chief, as chair of the ASEAN Economic Ministers’ (AEM) Meeting and Related Meetings, continues to champion the MSME development thrust at the meeting with his fellow ASEAN economic leaders, bringing the said national priority to the regional agenda.
The Kapatid Mentor ME sessions kicked off last March 8, 2017 in Catbalogan, Samar and will run in 89 areas in 16 regions throughout the country until the end of the year.
The 11-week program will have weekly modules such as Marketing, Financial Management, Human Resource Management, Operations Management among others. On the 11th week, the mentee is required to present his/her business improvement plan, incorporating the learning from the lectures and mentoring sessions.
To qualify as a mentee, the entrepreneur should be a business owner or manager of an enterprise with an asset of P3 million and below, operating for at least one year.
“To help address poverty, we are consistently determined to produce more entrepreneurs, as well as generate more jobs for Filipinos,” Sec. Lopez said.
by admin | Mar 18, 2017 | Features, Tourism
The National Organizing Committee (NOC) of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations has reportedly picked Panglao in Bohol as among the few places in the country where Asian ministers and officials meet.
This is a rare opportunity for Bohol to be seen again by the investors and the prospecting financiers of the strong block of Asian power which has the reach to control the large trade and commerce the world is being fed.
Bohol’s tourism potential is definitely getting a big boost, although Bohol has already laid down the tracks upon which its tourism development must get railed.
And since the meetings in Panglao would be largely about trade and investment, Bohol would have the courtside chance of learning from the regional trade and investment policies agreed at the meetings with the 10 country’s most senior trade officials.
When several people still could not readily make the tie on how the ASEAN can bring good news to Bohol tables, tourism officials simply count the least of the number of guests coming in. Multiply it with the possible and reasonable daily spending for the three days of stay in Bohol, and lo, you have a ballpark figure in your hands.
At 200, or some 20 delegates per country, the province would get as much cash flowing in and out of the pockets of hotels, bus and van drivers, tour guides, restaurants and souvenir markets to stimulate the local economy.
The stimulus fund even goes exponentially when the Asian guests get home and start telling their moneyed to take a look and invest in Bohol. This isn’t far-fetched as the ASEAN integration also opens up the boundaries of member states to ease out business in the region.
That is why, we believe Govenor Edgar Chatto is on track when he issued the call for Bohol to fully prepare for the investment opportunity.
Roll out the red carpet, just like fiestas, we clean up our surroundings, we fix our potholed streets, string the banners, pick up and properly manage our garbage and leash our dogs, the governor called.
As the governors call resounds, many see this ASEAN welcome call as a make or break proof or how the governor can command the barangays and the puroks as he claimed his successes in Bohol’s anti drug campaigns are.
So we wait for the puroks, and the barangays to deliver the grand ASEAN welcome. Let’s see how these units which has been flooded with awards and recognitions enough to be called bribes work its way, not to make a huge mess making us come out as a huge embarrassment.
by admin | Mar 16, 2017 | DTI Updates, Headlines, National News
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) sees exports recovering in 2017 as numbers surged in January 2017 with an increase of 22.5 percent with total sales of $5.130 billion from $4.187 billion recorded value in the same period last year according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) report.
“We are positive that we will continue to drive growth and recovery for the export sector as we increase our efforts in promoting Philippine industries throughout the year in various key markets. We take the consistent growth since the last quarter of 2016 as a sign for positive outlook in the coming months,” said DTI Industry Promotion Group Undersecretary Nora K. Terrado.
Eight out of the top ten Philippine exports reflected growth with articles of apparel and clothing accessories with 270.1% increase as the highest gainer. Other gainers include: coconut oil includes oil and refined (229.6%), chemicals (104.7%), metal components (66.3%), electronic equipment and parts (64.8%), other manufactures (58.8%), machinery and transport equipment (27.9%), and electronic products (10.4%).
Electronic products remain to be the top Philippine export comprising almost 46 percent of the total Philippine exports with total receipts of $2.365 billion for January. On the other hand, non-electronic goods which accounts for 54 percent of exports likewise increased by a hefty 35.19% for that same month.
In terms of commodity groups, manufactured goods went up by 23.1 percent with total export sales of $4.505 billion, accounting for 87.8 percent of the total export receipts while exports from Total Agro-Based Products, with a 7.5 percent share to total exports in January 2017, amounted to $386.46 million. It increased by 33.7 percent compared to $289.12 million in January 2016.
Japan is still the top Philippine export destination with 17.3 percent share to total exports while United States ranks second with 16.5 percent share.
By economic bloc, exports to European Union member countries posted the highest growth with 82.5 percent increase from $491.34 million recorded in January 2016 to $896.69 million for the same period in 2017.
]“The increase in our shipments to European Union member countries could be attributed to the impact of EU GSP+ which continues to gain traction for our exports. We wish to further build on this by integrating new strategic measures in promoting the Philippines and our products and services,” explained Undersecretary Terrado.
On the other hand, countries in East Asia received most of Philippine exports accounting for 45.1 percent share to total exports valued at $2.315 billion. It increased by 11.1 percent from $2.085 billion of January 2016.
Exports to ASEAN member countries comprised 14.7 percent of the total exports in January 2017 and was valued at $751.54 million also posted growth which went up by 19.3 percent.
For more information on the services of the DTI, log-on to http://www.dti.gov.ph#
by admin | Mar 16, 2017 | DTI Updates
DTI Bohol conducted a “Seminar on the Updates of Product Standards and Regulations” to the 35 members of the United Architects of the Philippines (UAP) – Bohol Chapter last Saturday, March 11, 2017 at JJ’s Seafoods Village, K of C Drive, Gallares Avenue, Tagbilaran City.
The seminar was aimed at (1) informing Boholano Architects on R.A. 4109 otherwise known as the Philippine Standardization Law and its pertinent implementing rules and regulations; (2) raising awareness on Bureau of Philippine Standards (BPS) Certification Schemes – PS Mark and Import Commodities Clearance (ICC) as well as Mandatory Products under the BPS Certification Scheme; and (3) instilling standards and quality consciousness among architects in the practice of their profession. .
DTI BPO Consumer Advocacy and Education (CAE) Officer, TIDS Miguel C. Abuyabor, was the resource speaker of the seminar. Negosyo Center Bohol Counsellor Maribel R. Arbasto was also present to facilitate the activity and talk about the services of DTI Negosyo Center.
Members of UAP Bohol Chapter have expressed their thanks to DTI Bohol for the very fruitful activity and are looking forward to a seminar on PCAB Accreditation in the next months. UAP focal person, Archt. Ronald Jose T. Malanog also expressed his hopes for a more strengthened partnership with DTI in consumer welfare and protection.
