BusinessWeek

P15.00 Volume XIV, No. 107 Fri-Sat | February 17-18, 2023 www.businessweekmindanao.com CREDIBLE RELIABLE IN-DEPTH MINDANAO

Market Indicators FOREX PHISIX AS OF 6:00 PM FEB 16, 2023 (THU) 6,822.09 30.85 points 0.19 cents X

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Market access for agri products

THE Philippines will focus on market access for agricultural products once the Japanese agrees to a definite schedule for a general review of their bilateral free trade agreement – Philippines Japan Economic Partnership (PJEPA), the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said.

DTI’s Special Trade Representative to Japan Dita Angara-Mathay told reporters for the debriefing of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. visit in Japan that the Philippines is trying to schedule the next general review of the bilateral free trade agreement.

“We’re really pushing hard to really pin them down on honest general review. We have a lot of offensive interest in agriculture,” said Mathay as he noted of local banana and pineapple growers for greater market access of their produce.

Wage hike law review

SENATOR Raffy Tulfo on Wednesday filed a measure seeking to improve the working conditions of workers and at the same time review existing policies on the minimum wage increase to determine if they fit today's standard of living.

In his Senate Resolution 476, which seeks a review of the existing policies on minimum wage increases, Tulfo said this is to determine if last year’s wage increase could still sustain the living conditions of workers, considering that many of them are facing financial difficulties brought about by rising inflation.

The increase in minimum wage outside Metro Manila, meanwhile, took effect between June 6 and June 30 last year, with the rates ranging from P306 to P470.

Tourism revival

THE government’s big ticket infrastructure projects will not just benefit local commuters but will also boost tourism in far-flung areas, Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Jaime Bautista told the Philippine IATA Agents Travel Association (PIATA) on Wednesday, February 15.

In fact, these projects will establish the Philippines as a prime tourism destination.

“Modernizing the country’s transportation system is crucial to ensure tourists enjoy their travel and vacation experience,” Secretary Bautista pointed out.

AVAO City –The Mindanao Development Authority and the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) signed a partnership Wednesday to provide various developments in the island region.

MinDA Secretary Maria Belen Acosta and Oscar Marenco, the UNOPS country manager, agreed to cooperate on technical assistance in infrastructure master planning and project priority identification, as well as consideration of possible mechanisms for the development of infrastructure projects. Likewise, both parties also