DTI eyes approval of new exports plan
The Trade department is hopeful that President Rodrigo Duterte will soon approve a new medium-term export development plan following an endorsement by the government’s Economic Development Cluster (EDC).
The 2018-2022 Philippine Export Development Plan (PEDP), which the EDC submitted to Duterte earlier this month, is a five-year roadmap that identifies strategies to achieve the trade targets and improve competitiveness.
“Past PEDPs have been helpful in setting the direction that we implement to attain our targets,” Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said in a statement.
“With the new plan, we aim to level up our initiatives and address recurring issues through concrete and efficient action plans that will benefit both the public and the private sector,” he added.
Lopez said the PEDP — extended from the previous three-year rolling program — aimed to synchronize initiatives that will help attain the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) target of achieving $122 billion in exports by 2022.
“This intensifies the mandate to the Export Development Council and the DTI to strictly implement and efficiently cascade action plans as it becomes integral in attaining the medium-term plan in PDP and in the long run, in attaining the Ambisyon 2040,” Lopez added.
PEDP strategies include improving the overall climate for export development by removing unnecessary regulatory impediments, among others, and taking advantages of opportunities under trading arrangements.
The plan also calls for the crafting of comprehensive packages to promote select products and services.
“We are working closely with the private sector and other government agencies in attaining success on this and we welcome the issuance of the Memorandum Circular 27 in October last year that directs all concerned and relevant agencies to strengthen the implementation of the PEDP in the coming periods with their identified roles and tasks,” Trade Undersecretary Nora K. Terrado said.
The Trade department said it would be staging a series of stakeholder meetings nationwide once Duterte approves the PEDP.
The post DTI eyes approval of new exports plan appeared first on The Manila Times Online.