THE government is promoting programs, including those aimed at boosting the export competitiveness, in an effort to enable domestic industries establish their niches in the regional and global markets.
Karen Fami, trade and industry development analyst at the Department of Trade and Industry-Export Marketing Bureau, said the Philippine Export Competitiveness Program (PECP) seeks to enhance the competitiveness stance of the domestic manufacturers and exports.
PECP conducts seminars, information sessions and activities that provide them insights on productivity, innovation and updates on export trade. With the Philippines’ inclusion in the Generalized Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+), Fami said the EMB has also started the program on doing business with the 28-nation European Union (EU) using GSP+.
Starting 2013, the Doing Business in Free Trade Areas (DBFTA) program has also included information sessions on the Asean Economic Community (AEC) which has been fully implemented since Dec. 31 last year.
DBFTA is a nationwide information campaign on the benefits of Philippine free trade agreements (FTAs) covering discussions on market opportunities, preferential tariffs, rules of origin and customs procedures.
Likewise, Fami said the EMB assists Halal certifiers obtain recognition from various Islamic markets and facilitates for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to be Halal-certified to be able to export accepted Halal certified products.
Its other services include export trade complaints committee, coffee accreditation and export documentation, market and product consultancy, and knowledge processing, among others.