DTI: Philippines has ‘low usage’ of free trade agreements

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

CLARK FREEPORT — An official from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said the country has a low usage of Free Trade Agreements (FTA) opportunities compared to its neighbor countries.

Undersecretary Adrian Cristobal Jr., who heads the DTI-International Trade Group, said an intensive information campaign is needed to help Filipino exporters in expanding their businesses.

“The Philippines has one of the lowest FTA usage. So, we need an information campaign that can give exporters, even importers, the knowledge on which countries they can expand their businesses with,” Cristobal said.

On Tuesday, the DTI held a forum called “Doing business in Free Trade Areas” that sought to increase awareness and generate more business in the export market at the Mimosa Convention Center.

The forum was a series also designed to inform exporters on how to sell their products to countries with which the Philippines has FTAs.

The country has FTAs with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Free Trade Agreement (Afta), Australia-New Zealand, China, Japan and Korea.

“These FTAs bring a number of trade benefits, primarily tariff elimination or reduction that make Philippine exports products more competitive,” Cristobal said.

A representative from the European Union even promised to assist Filipino exporters to find markets in their member countries.

Moreover, Judith Angeles, assistant regional director at the DTI in Central Luzon, said the FTA forum meant more employment in the region.

“In this forum, our exporters will find more market for their products so they would need more people to work for them,” Angeles said.

Randy Viray, president of Philexport in Central Luzon, said the forum was helpful for their business expansion efforts.

“Especially now that we’re struggling to improve the business, this forum gives us ideas on which countries we can put more investments on,” Viray said.

Aside from the DTI, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) and the Tariff Commission (TC) also helped in putting up the forum.

Forum topics also include practical sessions with the BOC, TC and the DTI’s Bureau of Export Trade Promotion and International Trade Relations.

Businessmen also learned how to apply for a Certificate of Origin that may be necessary in availing from the FTA preferential tariff, procedures for doing business in FTAs and tariff rates.

Source: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/pampanga/local-news/dti-philippines-has-low-usage-free-trade-agreements

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http://www.ClarkWineCenter.com

Getting to this wine shop in Pampanga Angeles City Clark Freeport Zone Philippines from Manila

Getting to the Clark Wine Center wine shop from Manila is quite simple:  after entering Clark Freeport from Dau and Angeles City, proceed straight along the main highway M A Roxas. Clark Wine Center is the stand-along white building on the right, at the corner A Bonifacio Ave.  From the Clark International Airport DMIA, ask the taxi to drive towards the entrance of Clark going to Angeles City.  From Mimosa, just proceed towards the exit of Clark and this wine shop is on the opposite side of the main road M A Roxas.

Clark Wine Center

Bldg 6460 Clark Observatory Building

Manuel A. Roxas Highway corner A Bonifacio Ave,

Angeles Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga 2023

0922-870-5173 0917-826-8790 (ask for Ana Fe)

Wine@Yats-International.com

YATS Wine Cellars

Manila Sales Office

3003C East Tower, Phil Stock Exchange Center,

Exchange Rd Ortigas Metro Manila, Philippines 1605

(632) 637-5019   0917-520-4393  ask for Rea or Chay

Best place to buy wine in Clark Pampanga outside Manila near Subic and Angeles City Philippines is Clark Wine Center.