OZAMIZ City – The Regional Development Council of Northern Mindanao (RDC-X)
is urging local government units (LGUs) in the region to actively participate and support the briefings conducted by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) regarding free trade and free trade areas.

It also urges the regional line agencies, the local chapters of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) and other stakeholders to do the same.

This is because the Philippines-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA), ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) and a number of ASEAN Regional FTAs, namely: ASEAN-China, ASEAN-Japan, ASEAN-Korea and ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand FTAs have entered into force and are now being implemented.

“These FTAs bring a number of trade benefits, primarily tariff elimination or reduction which will make the country’s export products more competitive,” Engr. Leon M. Dacanay Jr., regional director of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), region 10, and chairperson of RDC 10, said.

To increase awareness and foster appreciation for the benefits under these FTA’s, DTI has organized an information campaign for exporters, distributors, traders, customs, brokers, freight forwarders, members of the academ,e and other government agencies.

The session will discuss market opportunities with focus on products with zero or reduced tariffs under existing FTAs, as well as procedures of their availment. Dacanay said DTI, through its Bureau of Export Trade and Promotion (BETP) and the Bureau of Customs will bring the sessions to region 10 in the near future.