Peza: FTA with EU, renewal of GSP+ benefits locators

By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

Boc Eyes Mandatory Listing Of Balikbayan Box Handlers

Panga said.

E arlier, Trade and Industry Secretary Alfredo E. Pascual said the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) will exert “all efforts possible” to finish the formal negotiations on the trade agreement between the Philippines and the European Union before the end of the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.

THE Bureau of Customs (BOC) said it is hastening the finalization of a memorandum order for a mandatory registration of deconsolidators nationwide to better manage and facilitate the importation and distribution of balikbayan boxes.

T he BOC explained that the measure would “ensure ‘’ that deconsolidators would be held accountable for the handling of balikbayan boxes in the countries.

balikbayan boxes.

PEZA Director General Tereso

O. Panga told reporters that apart from the elimination of trade barriers, an EU FTA and the GSP+ could benefit locators who are engaged in the export of agro-based and processed mineral products.

“A lot of our locators are exporting to the EU and used to benefit from the GSP Plus. Now, because of this impending renewal, whatever is the case, I think it makes sense for the Philippine government to engage the EU in terms of signing a free trade agreement,” Panga said.

Panga said an FTA and the renewal of the GSP+ will help Philippine exporters wanting to access the European market to get help with compliance in terms of permits needed to access specific EU markets.

That should be spelled out in the FTA -- including availability of the GSP Plus, how we can maximize it so that more companies in the Philippines can export to the EU,” Panga said.

A part from the EU, the FTA with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and other countries in the Middle East would also be helpful for many of its locators.

Panga said Peza is getting a lot of interest from the Middle East in terms of agro-industries such as the manufacture of fertilizer.

He said the Philippines is strategically located in the region, making it a good place to set up regional food hubs in the Asia and the Pacific region.

“ Because of the big market not just in the Philippines but in Asean, it makes sense for them to be located in the Philippines (which could) be their hub in the Asia Pacific,”

T he Trade chief based his confidence on the fact that there had already been past negotiations between the EU and the Philippines on the trade deal. He said DTI will start with the scoping discussion sometime in September, with a target to complete this before the end of the year.

Meanwhile, PEZA said it has greenlighted 102 economic zone developer-locator projects with P80.585 billion worth of investments in the first half of the year, a 258-percent increase from the P22.489-billion investments recorded in the same period last year.

With this, Panga expressed optimism that the investment promotion agency will “sustain” its growth path for the second half of 2023. With the approved 102 new/expansion projects in the first six months of the year, Peza said 1,805,770 direct jobs are expected to be generated.

T he BOC is also planning to require deconsolidators to pay a performance bond of P2 million to ensure they would facilitate the distribution of balikbayan boxes with “utmost care and efficiency.”

Moreover, the BOC is actively finalizing a joint memorandum agreement with the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC), Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), forwarders, and other stakeholders,” the bureau said in a news release on Sunday.

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This comprehensive agreement seeks to streamline processes, enhance coordination, and fortify efforts in safeguarding the welfare of OFWs and their balikbayan boxes,” it added.

R anking BOC officials recently met with the officials of the Office of the President and PAOCC to improve the government’s policies when it comes to

T he BOC said the meeting was meant to “address the pressing issue of unscrupulous forwarders victimizing numerous OFWs abroad using balikbayan boxes.” The meeting was attended by BOC Acting Deputy Commissioner Michael Fermin, Executive Secretary Lucas P. Bersamin and PAOCC Undersecretary Gilberto DC Cruz, according to the bureau. “ One of the significant achievements highlighted was the successful release of 36 containers of abandoned consolidated shipments, comprising 9,689 boxes,” the BOC said.

Out of these, 9,011 boxes have been rightfully distributed to their respective owners, while 678 boxes remain unclaimed due to insufficient information. The BOC remains committed to resolving this issue and reuniting these boxes with their rightful recipients,” it added.

Meanwhile, BOC said it has filed 11 criminal complaints against unscrupulous forwarders to date.

T he BOC said it will collaborate with the DMW to include information about balikbayan importation in the latter’s training program for OFWs. “ This initiative aims to educate OFWs about their rights, responsibilities, and ways to protect their balikbayan boxes during shipping,” it added.

Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas