The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is looking to form a group that will resolve trade facilitation issues in the Philippines’ logistics and supply chain industry.
In a letter to Deputy Executive Secretary Teofilo Pilando, Jr. of the Office of the President, Trade Undersecretary Nora Terrado said the department, through the Consumer Welfare Group, will assess the proposal of the Chamber of Customs Brokers, Inc. (CCBI) to create a Trade Facilitation Council (TFC).
The DTI letter dated August 18 was in reply to Pilando’s endorsement letter dated July 28 to Trade Secretary Gregory Domingo for appropriate action on the CCBI proposal.
Earlier, on July 24, CCBI sent a letter to President Benigno Aquino III requesting the immediate formation of a TFC that will act to expedite the free flow of goods, closely monitor cost drivers, prevent sudden price increases for services and commodities, and identify, recommend, and create implementing policies to attain its objectives.
In the CCBI letter, chamber president Joseph Tabirara said the waterfront is “facing many problems that greatly affect the international trading community, which in turn, adversely affect the Filipino consumers.”
These problems, he added, include port congestion, road blockages from heavy traffic or truck bans, artificial shortage of trucks, “ridiculous” hikes in trucking rates, “unregulated charges and rates” by international shipping lines, and government policies that are “untimely implemented.”
CCBI further proposed that the TFC should have a multisectoral composition that includes representatives from stakeholders, concerned government agencies, and the private sector to ensure it will “contribute to the attainment of economic growth.”
Tabirara said the organization believes the TFC can help regulate the service sectors on the waterfront, identify main problems and propose sustainable and long-term solutions, improve trade facilitation to put prices of commodities under control, increase revenue for businesses on the waterfront, and raise consumer protection. – Roumina Pablo
 Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
