| 10 November 2011
Customs Brokers Group Joins DTI in Advocating FTAs to Entrepreneurs
The Chamber of Customs Brokers, Inc. recently identified the benefits of Philippine businesses from free trade agreements.
More than 400 members of the Chamber of Customs Brokers, Inc. gathered to attend the Seminar on Doing Business in Free Trade Areas (DBFTA) at the Philippine Trade Training Center last November 4, 2011.
The massive nationwide conduct of awareness seminars on DBFTA is a flagship program of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). It was already implemented in PTTC, Camanava Area, Las Pinas, Makati, Pasig, Calabarzon, Cebu, Clark, Davao, Iloilo, Bacolod, Dipolog, Baguio, General Santos, Zamboanga, Cagayan de Oro, Legaspi and other key cities. Several exporters and importers from these areas clamor for repeat sessions to gain a deeper understanding of FTA benefits, updates, and issues. DTI is also slated to run the seminars in Capiz, Palawan, Benguet, Naga, etc. until next year.
DTI encourages penetrating the country’s export markets such as ASEAN, China, Korea, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and China. It has tapped the services of product and market desk officers of Bureau and Export Trade Promotion (BETP) and Bureau of International Trade Relations (BITR), representatives from the Bureau of Customs (BoC) and Tariff Commission, together with experts from the private sector and academe. Exporters who have reaped FTA benefits also join the sessions to provide testimonials.
According to Mr. Chris John Garcia, Vice President for Professional Development of the Chamber of Customs Brokers, Inc., the macro benefits of using FTAS are cheaper goods, stable and abundant supply of goods, easier sourcing, increased healthy competition, comparative advantage of goods, and increased exports for economic growth.
“There are savings from duties to 0 tariff”, said Mr. Garcia. “The direct benefits seen are significant reduction of VAT, savings from freight charges, faster transit time of goods, and bigger markets and sales”.
To maximize the use of FTAs, Mr. Garcia reminded the customs brokers to encourage clients to go regional sourcing, liaise with regional carriers and service providers for volume discounts and rebates, emphasize savings from freight, duty and taxes, and try to tap more export markets.
“Most important is to search and understand the FTA related policies of the Department of Trade and Industry, Tariff Commission, and Bureau of Customs”, Mr. Garcia stressed in his closing statement.
The DTI-Philippine Trade Training Center recently tied up with the Chamber of Customs Brokers, Inc. (CCBI) for a professional development program that will provide free trainings to brokers until 2013. Ms. Girlie Perez, CCBI President stated, “we abide to President Aquino’s call to develop partnerships with the government through various projects that will benefit the country’s economy”.
