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Two trade regulatory government agencies (TRGA) will link with the new national single window (NSW) TradeNet by yearend; other TRGAs to come on board in 2021
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To secure permits from agencies still not on board TradeNet, traders can still use NSW Phase 1
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TradeNet’s website to be launched second week of November
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For now TradeNet can be used to issue Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency permit for “non-mix chemicals” and electronic certificate of origin under ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement
Two more trade regulatory government agencies (TRGAs) will interconnect with the Philippines’ new national single window (NSW) system, TradeNet, by the end of the year, while the other TRGAs will do so in 2021, according to a Department of Finance (DOF) official.
Two TRGAs are already on board the platform, DOF Central Management Information Office head Angelica Sarmiento said during a webinar hosted by the Bureau of Customs (BOC) on November 5. These are the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and the BOC, but only for certain processes.
The 2 other TRGAs set to interconnect by yearend were not identified.
The TradeNet website will also be launched in the second week of November, Sarmiento added.
TradeNet is the government’s online platform for processing applications for import and export permits. Serving as the country’s national NSW, the platform is required when connecting to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Single Window (ASW).
READ: TradeNet is online platform for PH National Single Window
The ASW is the regional initiative to speed up cargo clearance and promote regional economic integration by enabling the electronic exchange of border documents among the 10 ASEAN member states.
TradeNet will replace the NSW Phase 1 currently operated by BOC. NSW Phase 1 was launched in 2010 and deployed in 2011, but its second phase was stalled by a temporary restraining order. In 2017, the NSW Steering Committee issued a resolution to adopt TradeNet as the new NSW instead.
At the same webinar, BOC Management Information System and Technology Group (MISTG)-Technical Management Service officer-in-charge Jonathan Soriano said TradeNet can be currently used for the issuance of Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency’s permit for “non-mix chemicals” and issuance of the electronic certificate of origin (e-CO) under the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement (ATIGA).
The Philippines finally joined the live operations of the ASW on December 30, 2019, exchanging ATIGA electronic Form D (e-CO) with Indonesia and Malaysia. DOF said that since January 2020, live exchanges of e-COs among the Philippines and the nine other ASEAN members via the ASW have averaged around 8,712 transactions per month.
READ: PH links to ASEAN Single Window’s live operations
Soriano said ASEAN will discuss the exchange of sanitary and phytosanitary certificate through the ASW next year.
READ: ASEAN Single Window to allow exchange of other trade documents
To apply for permits from TRGAs still not on board TradeNet, Soriano said traders can still use the NSW Phase 1, which is still operational.
Soriano explained that before TRGAs can issue permits and licenses through TradeNet, they have to be placed on board the platform.
TradeNet aims to simplify import and export documentary processes covering an initial 7,400 regulated products.
The goal is to have all 76 TRGAs across 18 government departments fully interconnected via TradeNet.
Of these, 45 are regulatory agencies that regulate commodities processing and issue import/export permits, clearances and authorizations, while 20 are monitoring agencies that monitor the entry of the goods being regulated by other agencies. The rest consists of 11 eco zones that issue permits for importers and exporters in the economic zones.
DOF undersecretary Gil Beltran earlier said the Anti-Red Tape Authority will be included in the NSW Steering Committee to fast-track the streamlining of the processes of the various TRGAs involved in TradeNet. – Roumina Pablo
