TRADE-RELATED ASSISTANCE FOR DEVELOPMENT PROJECT SEPTEMBER 2013

T R A D E
This newsleter is made possible by the generous support of the American
People through the United States Agency for Internatonal Development
(USAID). The contents of this newsleter are the sole responsibility of the
TRADE Project and do not necessarily refect the views of USAID or the
United States Government.
Commissioner Biazon (right) welcomes TRADEs Ciel Habito (center) and USAIDs Kevin Sharp (lef) at the
Bureau of Customs.
BOC looks
forward to
passage of the
CMTA
Bureau of Customs (BOC) Commissioner
Rufino Biazon, in a meeting with USAID
officials and key personnel of the Trade-
Related Assistance for Development (TRADE)
project on 9 September 2013, expressed his
hope that the technical assistance provided by
TRADE will help with the passage of the
Customs Modernization and Tariff Act
(CMTA). The BOC is the lead counterpart for
the projects trade facilitation component
focusing on customs modernization and
implementation of the National Single Window.
In attendance were BOCs Collector John
Simon, USAIDs Kevin Sharp and Ryan
Evangelista, and TRADE staff led by COP Ciel
Habito, with DCOP Gareth Davies, senior
advisor Dr. Ramon Clarete, team leader Cecilia
Reyes, and Edmund Guamen.

TRADE anticipates helping BOC formulate
executive and administrative measures to
implement the CMTA once it is passed in
Congress. As an initial step, TRADE will
identify officers of the bureau who could be
designated as members of the BOC-TRADE
Counterpart Team, with whom TRADE will
work closely to support BOCs continuing
technical and organizational improvements and
help pursue customs process re-engineering,
especially in ports located in cities covered by
USAIDs Cities Development Initiative. TRADE
aims to help BOC identify and enact key trade
facilitation measures provided for under the
Revised Kyoto Convention (RKC) and the
Philippines-US Trade Facilitation Protocol
(PUSTFP), and assist in redesigning and
improving upon National Single Window
provisions with a view to its faithful
implementation. TRADE shall assist BOC in
enhancing communications, transparency and
private sector engagement.
TRADE COP
brings AEC advocacy
to the regions

The good thing about the upcoming ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) is that it is forcing us
to do the right things. Thus did TRADE Chief of Party Cielito Habito sum up the benefts from
the Philippines membership in the regional grouping in various forums held in September.
Several groups and insttutons in diferent cites have been invitng Dr. Habito to speak on the
countrys economic performance and prospects in the face of the AEC in 2015 since he
assumed leadership of the USAID TRADE project. The project is geared to assist the Philippine
government optmize its membership in the AEC and make good on its commitments under
the AEC Blueprint.

In September, Dr. Habito brought his message to three cites: Makat and some 100 ofcers of
the United Coconut Planters Bank in the UCPB Head Ofce on Sept. 16; Iloilo City and a
multsectoral audience composed of government ofcials, business people, NGOs and
academe organized by the Regional Development Council of Western Visayas (Region VI) on
Sept. 26; and Cebu and around 500 ofcials, clients and partners of Banco de Oro on Sept. 27.

The Philippines bilateral trade with its major ASEAN partners has largely been in products of
the same industries, on both export and import sides, noted Habito. He cited, for example,
how the countrys top imports from Thailand are motor vehicles, electronics, petroleum and
chemicals, in return for exports of motor vehicle parts, electronics & electricals and minerals.
(contnued next page)
Lef: Dr. Habito speaks on Philippine prospects in the AEC
during a forum in Cebu atended by about 500 ofcials,
clients and partners of Banco de Oro. Above: Audience
members of the Iloilo talk that gathered multsectoral
representatves from government, business, NGOs and the
academe.
2 TRADE / SEPTEMBER 2013
TRADE expands
outreach
In line with its goal of strengthening advocacy for trade policy reform,
TRADE took part in the September 30 launch of the Phil-American Fund, a
grant-making facility for NGOs involved in, among other areas, enterprise
development and governance and transparency. A project implemented by
the Gerry Roxas Foundaton (GRF), the Phil-Am Fund is a 5-year program
that aims to provide NGOs with opportunites to devise groundbreaking
solutons to development challenges. TRADE seeks to expand its network
with the private sector, NGOs, educatonal insttutons, foundatons,
media, and think tanks, all of which were represented at the gathering.

The TRADE project also took part in the Kapihan sa Embahada, an
informaton fair held on 24 September at the Ballroom One of the Rafes
and Fairmont Makat. The event was organized by the US Embassys Public
Afairs Secton, in cooperaton with USAID, and carried the theme US-
Philippines Partnership for Growth (PfG). It featured the diferent
programs of USAID/Philippines under the PfG. The TRADE delegaton was
led by Chief of Party Ciel Habito and was joined by a government
counterpart from the Bureau of Customs, Collector John Simon.

The Kapihan began with opening remarks by US Ambassador Harry K.
Thomas, Jr. followed by a moderated discussion with representatves from
the USAID, the Millennium Challenge Corporaton, and the US Department
of Justce and Department of Treasury. The PfG is a bilateral agreement
that seeks to promote higher, sustained and more inclusive growth for the
Philippines and put the economy on par with other high performing
emerging economies.
TRADE COP
(from p. 1)
Top imports from Singapore are electronics, machinery and petroleum, but our top
exports to Singapore are also electronics & electricals, machinery, and petroleum. The
countrys trade with Malaysia is similarly dominated by electronics, petroleum and
chemicals in both directons. Habito points out that the Philippines trade with ASEAN
is largely intra-industry in nature (i.e., in products belonging to the same industries).
This shows that our trade relatonships in ASEAN are largely complementary rather
than compettve in nature. Our trade opportunites therefore lie in being part of
regional and global value chains.
Habitos audiences in all three cites consistently welcomed his confdence in the
Philippine economys expected resilience in the face of closer regional economic
integraton by 2015. With the right policy reforms, some of which have been overdue
for decades, we should be able to maximize our benefts from the opportunites that
AEC presents, so that the winners would far exceed any losers, Habito asserted. He
added: The challenge is to fnd creatve mechanisms for the winners to be able to help
compensate the losers, so that a win-win outcome can be achieved.

The TRADE project has
moved from its
temporary location in
BPI Buendia Center to a
bigger office in Legazpi
Village. The new
headquarters is on the
third floor of the HERCO
Center on Benavidez
St., Makati City. The
place is proximate to
Asian Institute of
Management, Greenbelt
Shopping Area and
Legaspi Columns.
New headquarters for TRADE
Top: One of the staf ofces
Botom: Lobby area and
executve ofces
TRADE PROJECT STAFF
Chief of Party: Dr. Cielito F. Habito Deputy Chief of Party: Gareth J.
Davies Senior Adviser for Trade Policy: Dr. Ramon L. Clarete Trade
Policy Specialist: Myrene Bedao Component Lead for Trade
Facilitaton: Cecilia V. Reyes Adviser for Trade Facilitaton: Edmund C.
Guamen Component Lead for Competton Policy: Gigo Alampay
Monitoring and Evaluaton Specialist: Miguel V. Guioguio
Communicatons Specialist: Kimi Tuvera Research Assistant: Abigail
Dumalus Director of Operatons: Mitos Q. Aldave Project
Accountant: Imelda L. Mallari Administratve Assistant: Rose Catndoy
Dr. Habito
explains
TRADEs
objectves to
US
Ambassador
Thomas during
the Kapihan.
Also in photo is
USAID Mission
Director Gloria
Steele.
The TRADE
Kapihan delegaton
(L-R): Cecilia Reyes,
Gigo Alampay, Abi
Dumalus, Mitos
Aldave, Rose
Catndoy, Bureau
of Customss John
Simon, Dr. Habito,
USAIDs Gloria D.
Steele, USAIDs
Dan Miller, Imee
Mallari, Myrene
Bedao and
USAIDs John Avila.
During the launch of
the Phil-Am Fund,
TRADEs Ciel Habito
(1st from lef) and
Abi Dumalus (2nd
from lef) explain
the project using
PowerPoint,
brochures, fyers
and banner to an
inquiring NGO
partcipant.
TRADEs
delegaton to
the Phil-AM
Fund Launch (L-
R): Rose
Catndoy, US
Ambassador
Harry K.
Thomas, Dr. Ciel
Habito, Mike
Guioguio and
Gigo Alampay.