The TRADE project, through COP Cielito Habito, began direct coordination with House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. in a meeting held 24 October. Speaker Belmonte is author of House Bill 1133, now pending at the House Committee on Trade and Industry chaired by Las Pias Congressman Mark Villar. The meeting was an initial step towards the projects goal of assisting government in meeting Philippine commitments to the AEC Blueprint which calls on ASEAN members to have a competition policy in place by 2015. In his discussion with Dr. Habito, Speaker Belmonte affirmed the bill to be a top priority for him, as he considers it critical to stimulating creative business activities and promoting a balanced development of the economy. The Speaker agreed to bring together Congressmen chairing key House Committees for a formal presentation of the TRADE project to the House leadership on November 5.
Meanwhile, Senator Paolo Benigno Bam Aquino, author of the counterpart Senate Bill 1027 and Chairman of the Senate Trade and Commerce Committee (TCC), is also in working partnership with TRADE, which is assisting the senators technical staff in drafting a Competition Policy bill consistent with international best practices. Meeting with Dr. Habito on 19 October 2013, Senator Aquino expressed his intention to mark the bill as one of the top priorities in his legislative agenda.
The Philippine Fair Competition Act of 2013 is designed to protect consumer
(continued on next page) TRADE-RELATED ASSISTANCE FOR DEVELOPMENT PROJECT OCTOBER 2013 T R A D E This newsletter is made possible by the generous support of the American People through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents of this newsletter are the sole responsibility of the TRADE Project and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government. Farewell Breakfast
TRADE COP Cielito Habito poses with US Ambassador Harry Thomas during a breakfast for the outgoing ambassador hel d on October 2 at the Spiral room of Sofitel. Ambassador Thomas assumed his post in 2010. The partnership between the Bureau of Customs (BOC) and the TRADE Project was sealed through a memorandum order signed by the BOC Commissioner on October 22. The BOC is the lead counterpart for the projects trade facilitation component which focuses on customs modernization and the implementation of the National Single Window. TRADE aims to help the BOC formulate executive and administrative measures to implement the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA) once passed in Congress. I n t h e me mor a n du m, BOC Commissioner Ruffy Biazon thanked TRADE for its technical assistance and introduced the deputy commissioners who form the new management team following the agencys reorganization. Biazon said that with the new team, the BOC would have new perspective, new approach and renewed drive in boosting the bureaus performance and fight against corruption. He also stressed the need for working with partners like TRADE towards the implementation of reform initiatives aimed at trade facilitation.
An orientation meeting between TRADEs key personnel and the new officials has been set for November 4.
(Photo from Philippine Star) BOC/TRADE partnership set in motion
The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), in partnership with the TRADE project, held a training seminar aimed at cultivating experts in trade policy formulation and consultation. This program, called the 5th I-MUST PLUS (Institutionalization of Multi- Stakeholder Professional Learning and Universal Skills for Trade Policy and Negotiations) was held from October 8- 11 at the BSA Securities Hall, PCCI Training Center in Taguig City.
TRADE sponsored 20 I-MUST PLUS trainees, all of whom are members of the Committee on ASEAN Economic Community (CAEC), and who benefited from activities such as trade negotiations simulation exercises and discussions on trade and competition policy, the ASEAN Economic Community, intellectual property and trade remedies.
In order to encourage the private sector to be more engaged in trade negotiations, the 5th I-MUST PLUS focused on topics such as trade policy and the international trade framework, as well as the potential of FTAs to maximize business opportunities. The curriculum covered topics such as Case Study on Competition in the Philippine Shipping Above: I -MUST PLUS participants gather for a group photo at the PCCI center in Taguig. Left: TRADE Deputy COP Gareth Davies gives welcome r emar ks dur i ng t he seminars opening session. Right and below: Trainees e ng ag e i n t r a de negotiations simulation.
TRADE PROJECT STAFF 3F HERCO Center, 114 Benavidez St., Legazpi Village Makati City 1229
Chief of Party: Dr. Cielito F. Habito Deputy Chief of Party: Gareth J. Davies Senior Adviser for Trade Policy: Dr. Ramon Clarete Trade Policy Specialist: Myrene Bedao Component Lead for Trade Facilitation: Cecilia V. Reyes Adviser for Trade Facilitation: Edmund C. Guamen Component Lead for Competition Policy: Gigo Alampay Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist: Miguel V. Guioguio Communications Specialist: Kimi Tuvera Research Assistant: Abigail Dumalus Director of Operations: Mitos Q. Aldave Project Accountant: Imelda L. Mallari Administrative Assistant: Rose Catindoy 2 TRADE / OCTOBER 2013 COMPETITION (contd)
welfare. It regulates monopolies and anti -competi tive agreements and measures in order to advance domestic and international trade and achieve sustained economic development. The bill seeks to create a Philippine Fair Trade Commission tasked with prosecuting those engaging in unfair and deceptive trade practices.
As a related activity, TRADE plans to TRADE sponsors training for CAEC members conduct in collaboration with the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) and other private sector counterparts seminar workshops with partner legislators as official hosts. The workshops will be designed for the appropriate offices and committees of both houses of Congress, with the aim of increasing the technical expertise and knowledge of legislators and their key technical staff to defend and pass the proposed competition law. (Photos from Philippine Star and GMA News.) Industry: Bottlenecks for Global Competitiveness; Trade Statistics and their Use for Business; and Introduction to Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement. Other key topics included Understanding the Multilateral trade policy framework: Market Access in Goods, Trade in Services; Trade Policy for Export Success; Understanding Non-Tariff Barriers (NTBs); and traditional trade policy tools for business competitiveness including Trade Remedies and Dispute Settlement Mechanism.