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dataline February 2016 1

A monthly digest of global and domestic industry trends and developments. Published by the Knowledge Management and Information Service (KMIS) of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Manila, Philippines Tel. (632) 895.3611 Fax (632) 895.6487 To subscribe, email: [email protected] Online: http://www.dti.gov.ph/dti/index.php/resources/publications

Consumer News1. DTI welcomes revised UN guidelines for consumer protection2. Beauty products with banned

ingredient still in PHL market

FeaturePAB launched as PHL’s nationalaccreditation body

Regional/International News1. PHL pursuing to join TPP2. ASEAN Economic Community seen

as a trading powerhouse3. Viet Nam concessions - Philippines

trade talks guide with EU

Statwatch

What’s New1. Consumer Reports Buying Guide2. Guidebook on Trade and Supply Chain

dataline February 2016Vol. 21, No.02

In this issueFocusBOI, PEZA target 5-% growth in 2016

Inside DTI3 top DTI officials sworn to office

Good News, Philippines!1. Economy entering 2016 from

‘position of strength’2. PHL to grow by 5.7% in 20163. Quality employment to boost PHL growth

MSMEs1. PHL pushes MSME advocacies in APEC2. More Negosyo Centers launched

Business Updates1. DTI urges replication of CARS

Program to other industries2. Investors seriously hit by PNP’s

chemical control policy - PEZA

Vol. 21, No. 02 2dataline

FocusBOI, PEZA target 5-% growth in 2016

Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Adrian S. Cristobal Jr.

announced that both the Board of Investments (BOI) and the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) are setting a 5-% growth target in approved investments this year.

PEZA Director General Lilia B. De Lima said their agency’s growth goal for this year is 5-5-5 for investments, exports, and employment.

Combined BOI and PEZA-approved investments in 2015 posted 4-% growth to P661.83B from P634.23B in 2014.

Of the total, BOI contributed P366.74B or a 3-% growth compared to P354.76B in 2014. In 2015, BOI approved 358 projects which were expected to generate 58,252 new jobs.

PEZA approved P296.09B worth of projects or 5.58% growth over P279.47B in 2014. As of October 2015, PEZA employment grew 7.7% to 1.24M in direct jobs or 89,257 more employed than the 1.15M in 2014.

“We have shifted emphasis on jobs generation,” said Secretary Cristobal who is the Chairman of both BOI and PEZA.

He said this year’s investment drivers will continue to be services led by the information technology and business process management (IT-BPM), manufacturing, energy, agriculture, real estate, and tourism.

In 2015, energy related projects comprised majority of the investments with an aggregate total of P246.42B from 55 projects with generating capacity of 2,095.92 megawatts (MW). The investments were higher compared to last year’s 37 projects worth P174.69B and with total generating capacity of 1,542.40 MW.

“The increase in power investment projects augurs well for the country’s goal to ensure energy security and independence. These investments support the Philippine Energy Plan (PEP) 2010-2030 to search for, discover, and further develop energy sources,” DTI-Industry Development Group (IDG) Undersecretary and BOI Managing Head Ceferino S. Rodolfo said.

BOI-Approved Investments by Sector

(in Billion Pesos)

2014 2015 %Growth

Energy 174.69 246.42 41.06 Manufacturing 24.47 27.01 10.38 Agriculture, 2.53 6.19 144.66 forestry and fishing IT-BPM 2.38 4.68 96.63

Investments from domestic sources reached P307.24B or 84% of the total investment approvals in 2015, the remaining 16% or P59.51B were generated from foreign sources.

2015 Foreign InvestmentsBOI and PEZA

Amount % Share in Billion in TotalPesos Foreign Investments

Netherlands 26.70 45 Singapore 10.80 18 Malaysia 2.67 4 South Korea 2.41 4 Taiwan 2.37 4

Big ticket BOI investments

P69.13-B Olympia Violago Water & Power Ltd. Co. project

P49.45-B San Buenaventura Power Ltd. Co. project

P29.50B Semirara Mining and Power Corporation project


Inside DTI3 top DTI officials sworn to office

Good News, Philippines!1. Economy entering

2016 from ‘position of strength’

2. PHL to grow by 5.7% in 2016

On 7 January 2016, President Benigno S. Aquino III swore into office Department

of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Adrian S. Cristobal Jr., DTI-Management Services Group (MSG) Assistant Secretary Ireneo V. Vizmonte, and Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) Director General Josephine Rima-Santiago.

On 11 January, Secretary Cristobal inducted Industry Development Group (IDG) Assistant Secretary

Ceferino S. Rodolfo as IDG Undersecretary and Board of Investments (BOI) Managing Head.

On a related note, DTI bagged the 2014 Top Placement Award given by the Career Executive Service Board (CESB) last 11 November 2015.

DTI triumphed over other government agencies for attaining the highest percentage of Third Level positions occupied by Career Executive Service Officers and Eligibles (CESOs and CESEs) in 2014.

This year, the Philippines will be less vulnerable to external factors due to strong private

consumption, government spending, and private investments, British multinational banking and financial

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Amando M. Tetangco, Jr.

said the country is capable of dealing with volatility due to its strong fundamentals and with ample monetary tools to respond to any shock such as the plunge in stocks in the United States (U.S.), Europe, and Asia; China’s economic slump; and the growing tension in the Middle East.

Basing his optimism on a position of strength, having managed to address obstacles encountered in 2015 and the great financial crisis in 2007-2008, he said the country could weather the storm better than regional counterparts.

“Among others, our economy’s non-inflationary growth momentum, sound banking system, and favorable external liquidity position provide your policy makers, including the BSP, enough

PHL Position of Strength Remittances stood at USD 20.64B at

end-October 2015, 3.67% better than a year earlier. Remittances accounted for 8.5% of the economy in 2014

BSP projects remittance to grow in 2016 by 4% to USD 26.3B

Gross international reserves at end-December 2015 stood at

USD 80.6B, adequate for 10.3M worth of import payments

Balance of payments remained in surplus as of end-November at USD 2.14B, above the USD 2-B assumption for 2015

Inflation averaged 1.4% for 2015, and is expected to be under control at 2%-4% target range for 2016 despite El Niño and a possible rise in utility rates, amid downside pressure from potentially lower oil and commodity prices

flexibility to respond appropriately to evolving domestic and global conditions,” Tetangco said.

Consumer spending accounts for over 70% of nominal GDP and will be supported by remittance inflows. GDP growth is at robust levels in peso terms despite some recent volatility in headline United States (U.S.) dollar growth;

Private consumption is buttressed by better employment opportunities, government spending particularly in infrastructure;

Services sectors – particularly business process management (BPM) – would provide sustainable foreign exchange earnings for the Philippines.

HSBC Recommendations for Sustained Growth Sustained infrastructure spending for the government to reach its 7-8% growth target Accelerate public-private partnership (PPP) projects to attract foreign direct

investments (FDIs)

PHL Advantages


3. Quality employment to boost PHL growth

MSME News1. PHL pushes MSME

advocacies in APEC

The government has to continue creating more quality jobs to further hasten the

country’s economic growth, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) reported in a forum with the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (FOCAP) held in Mandaluyong City in January.

“There are many progresses, good things about the Philippines,” ADB President Takehiko Nakao said.

“One is solid growth supported by the services sector, including business

process management (BPM), and supported by remittance,” Nakao explained.

The ADB expects the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) to expand by 6.3% this year, an improvement from its 5.9% forecast for 2015.

Philippine Statistics Authority’s (PSA) data showed that 93.7% of the Philippine labor force, or 38.7M individuals, were employed in 2015, which brought the jobless rate down to 6.3% from the previous year’s 6.8%. (BWD 01/08)

The Philippines is all set to speed up the execution of micro, small, and medium enterprises’

(MSME) advocacies that transpired during the country’s hosting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) 2015 Summit.

“We’ll implement measures that the Philippines advocated last year in APEC,” Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Adrian S. Cristobal Jr. said.

Cristobal said the DTI will coordinate closely with the Bureau of Customs (BOC) in making cross-border trade easier for MSMEs.

The trade facilitation measures include the setting up of ‘super green lane’ for MSMEs, establishing an accreditation system, simplifying processes of certificates of origin, and other initiatives specified in the Boracay Action Agenda. This Action Agenda was endorsed by the Ministers

Responsible for Trade (MRT) to the APEC Economic Leaders.

“These measures will simplify importing and exporting goods (and) provide opportunities for MSMEs to sell their goods in other markets,” Cristobal added.

The government, specifically the DTI, will be steadfast in simplifying processes in the remaining six months of the Aquino administration, he said.

“These initiatives are part of our ease of doing business reforms. We will continue that. We will intensify that,” said Cristobal.

Among the continuing reforms is the establishment of Negosyo Centers nationwide. As of end-December 2015, a total of 149 Negosyo Centers were already establishedto facilitate access to services for MSMEs which include business registration assistance, business advisory, and business information and advocacy, among others.

services company HSBC said in its latest report.

Notably, the country remains one of Asia’s brightest growth stories this year despite global economic weakness, the report added.

With the positive indicators, HSBC raised the country’s domestic

product (GDP) growth forecasts for 2015 at 5.6% and 2016 at 5.7%.

“The domestic economy is firing on several cylinders,” HSBC Economist Joseph Incalcaterra said.


2. More Negosyo Centers launched A total of 145 Negosyo Centers

(NCs) were launched in 2015 nationwide, overshooting by

45% the targeted 100 Centers last year, bringing the total number of NCs in the country to 149 as of end-December 2015 with the addition of four NCs established in 2014.

Local government unit (LGU)-based NCs comprised a little over half (51%) of all that were established, while DTI-lodged Centers accounted for 44%.

The remaining 5% are operated in partnership with the academe and non-government organizations.

Of the 66 Centers housed at DTI, six are in Regional Offices, 59 are in Provincial Offices, and one in a Satellite Office.

Notably, the targeted 100 Centers for 2015 is only 5.8% percent of the total number of provinces (81), cities (144), and municipalities (1,490) in the country. The total numbers of LGUs are based on data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

Negosyo Centers provide services to support the growth of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), such as business registration assistance, business advisory services, and monitoring and evaluation of processes. The facility’s other services include technology transfer, production and management training programs, as well as marketing assistance.

Through these facilities, the number of MSMEs assisted every month has steadily risen, reaching over 17,000 businesses assisted in a month, DTI data showed. In support of the country’s MSMEs, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Adrian S. Cristobal Jr. said

the Department will ensure that all its policies, programs, and activities will continue to focus on MSMEs.

For 2016, the DTI aims to establish 150 NCs.

Distribution of Negosyo Centers 2015

Another Center was launched in the province of Guimaras last January 2016, bringing the number of operating NCs in the Western Visayas (Region 6) to nine.

A little earlier in the same month, three Centers had been established in the region, one each in the province of Aklan, Capiz, and Iloilo.

Meanwhile in Mindanao, a Negosyo Center was also installed in Tacurong City in Sultan Kudarat.

“I’m glad that we now have a Negosyo Center because Tacurong City is considered as the business hub of Sultan Kudarat. This will ease the process of accommodating investments in our city,” Tacurong City Mayor Lina O. Montilla said.

The local government of Tacurong, together with the DTI, held the soft launch of the Tacurong City Negosyo Center in December 2015.

Luzon

Visayas

Mindanao

80 (54%)35 (23%)

34 (23%)

Regions with the most number of Negosyo Centers

R8/Eastern Visayas 18R4B/MIMAROPA 17R5/Bicol 12R4A/CALABARZON 12R3/Central Luzon 11


2. Investors seriously hit by PNP’s chemical control policy - PEZA

Business Updates1. DTI urges replication of CARS Program to other industries

Using the Comprehensive Automotive Resurgence Strategy (CARS) Program

pattern, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is eyeing to implement this year three to four sectoral programs which impact across manufacturing sectors.

The government is all set to sustain growth in manufacturing with the allocation this year of P289B for the Manufacturing Resurgence Program (MRP). The manufacturing sector, which grows at an average of 8% in the past four years, is seen to make a big difference in the government’s thrust for jobs creation especially in the countryside.

As lead agency in the MRP, the DTI immediately pushed for intensified implementation of various measures and projects under the MRP.

DTI Secretary Adrian S. Cristobal Jr. believed that the

country will achieve inclusive growth through manufacturing. He said the country is now experiencing manufacturing resurgence. To sustain this development, he said, major projects and programs supported with fiscal, infrastructure, and training should be put in place.

The CARS Program is a result of the formulation of the automotive development roadmap. The CARS Program, a product of long-term strategic planning that started in 2012, grants USD 600M in tax incentives to three car brands that can locally produce 200,000 units each over a six-year period.

Crisobal stressed the need to continue crafting sectoral roadmaps which is the source of more concrete programs.

The expanded controlled list of imported chemicals and new rules imposed by the Philippine

National Police (PNP) have caused investors huge losses in revenues and exports, the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) reported.

Some PEZA locators have even temporarily stopped operations while one big electronics firm has threatened to pull out because the new PNP rules have slowed down their operations and affected their deliveries abroad, PEZA Promotions and Public Relations Group Head Elmer H. San Pascual said.

“Those seriously affected are export companies, one almost left as they have to explain to their principals every time they cannot deliver.These are not just ordinary firms but huge companies with thousands of employees,” San Pascual stressed.

Most of the companies affected by the new PNP controlled list of chemicals are electronics and semiconductor firms, which require some chemicals in their production. The restriction is in line with PNP’s efforts to avert terrorist activities in the country.

In June last year, the PNP implemented Republic Act 9516, which contains the expanded list of imported chemicals, initially 41 and now 100, as authorities tighten their control on chemicals that are hazardous and can be manufactured into bombs to carry out acts of terrorism.

The list of said chemicals can be obtained from the PNP website (www.pnp.gov.ph).

RA 9516 is "An act further amending the provisions of Presidential Decree No. 1866, as amended, entitled codifying the laws on illegal/unlawful


possession, manufacture, dealing in, acquisition or disposition of firearms, ammunition or explosives or instruments used in the manufacture of firearms, ammunition or explosives, and imposing stiffer penalties for certain violations thereof, and for other relevant purposes."

San Pascual said the PNP will be meeting with other government officials and businesses. The PNP is also open to reviewing its list as

well as the rules and procedures by setting some criteria, including the volume and concentration limit of the chemical to be imported. At present, the rule is more general and there is no specification on volume and concentration level.

The PNP has to craft the criteria on what chemicals to include or exclude from the controlled list, San Pascual said, noting that they should also look at streamlining procedures. (MAB 01/10)

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) welcomes the new United Nations Guidelines

for Consumer Protection (UNGCP) as an opportunity to put consumers at the heart of business and development. “The Department accepts the United Nation General Assembly’s adoption of the revised UNGCP,” DTI-Consumer Protection Group (CPG) Undersecretary Victorio Mario A. Dimagiba said. The adoption of the revised guidelines was made through a resolution last 22 December 2015 in New York City. The highlights of the revised guidelines include:

First comprehensive revision of the UNGCP since 1985 addresses gaps in financial services, privacy, energy, travel and tourism

Access to essential goods and services, and the protection of vulnerable and disadvantaged consumers are recognized as new consumer legitimate needs

Updated UN Guidelines can play an important role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by protecting and empowering consumers in developing nations

Consumers International, the world federation of consumer organizations, calls for governments to update their consumer protections in line

with the new UN Guidelines and challenges businesses to ensure their practices are compliant

The UNGCP was first adopted in 1985 and have acted as a blueprint for consumer protection around the world. They are estimated to have guided the development of consumer protection in more than 100 countries

The Guidelines give governments, business, and civil society high-level guidance on issues including the recognition of new consumers’ legitimate needs, promotion and protection of consumers’ economic interests, and standards for the safety and quality of consumer goods and services to redress and coordination of enforcement efforts between consumer protection agencies around the world.

If implemented globally, the revised guidelines would extend protections for consumers everywhere. “Recently, both the Senate and the House of Representatives under the Committees on Trade and Industry have been deliberating on the amendments to the Consumer Act of the Philippines to update the areas of consumer protection as it applies to e-Commerce, motu propio cases powers by the DTI, and increasing penalties for violation of the Consumer Act,” Dimagiba said.

Consumer News1. DTI welcomes revised

UN guidelines for consumer protection


2. Beauty products with banned ingredient

still in PHL market

The new UNGCP key additions are:

Recognition of access to essential goods and services, and the protection of vulnerable and disadvantaged consumers as new consumer legitimate needs

New guidance on e-commerce, parity of treatment between online and offline consumers and protection of consumer privacy

New guidance on financial services, public utilities, good business

practices and international cooperation

A new Intergovernmental Group of Experts (IGE) on consumer protection law and policy to monitor the implementation of the Guidelines, serving as a forum for exchange

The DTI is a member of Consumers International, the international federation of consumer organizations.

Beauty products using the banned ingredient ‘parabens’ are still sold in the market

despite a recall order from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) effective 1 January 2016.

EcoWaste Coalition, an anti-toxics consumer watchdog, reported to the FDA that it has found in local stores at least 15 products such as lotions, body wash, liquid soap, and foot scrub creams that contained parabens, which has been banned from cosmetic products in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Parabens is a chemical compound usually used as preservatives to hinder the growth of microbes and increases more shelf life to the cosmetics’ products.

However, studies found that parabens disturbs normal endocrine functions

as they imitate the female hormone estrogens, which are associated to an increased risk of breast cancer.

The ingredient has been prohibited in cosmetic products in ASEAN since 1 August 2015, but the Philippines and Thailand asked for an extension.

The FDA gave cosmetics companies until 31 December 2015 to voluntarily cancel the sale of products containing the banned parabens.

EcoWaste consulted the FDA Center for Cosmetics Regulation and Research (CCRR) last 18 January by requesting the agency to require the concerned companies to withdraw immediately their products and undertake other necessary legal measures to ensure industry compliance. (PDI 01/20)

FeaturePAB launched as PHL’snational accreditationbody

The Department of Trade and Industry-Philippine Accreditation Bureau (DTI-PAB), formerly

known as the Philippine Accreditation Office (PAO), has been launched last December 2015 in Makati as the accreditation partner of conformity assessment bodies in the Philippines.

The DTI-PAB is operating its accreditation schemes according to ISO/IEC 17011 Conformity

Assessment. It is the Philippines’ national accreditation body by virtue of Executive Order 802, s. 2009.

When accreditation is present in businesses, it can compete with other economies by providing assurance to the government and other entities that they have the required competence and impartiality to act according to the international standards.


Global consumers need to be assured that there is safety in the products that they will purchase and their consumer rights are protected.

PAB and other accreditation bodies push organizations to explore more opportunities in the national and international markets, have an efficient system that would benefit their products or services and also their employees, and enhance customer satisfaction.

1. PHL pursuing to join TPP

Regional/InternationalNews

The Philippines is definitely joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement,

Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Adrian S. Cristobal Jr. said.

The move is consistent with the country’s international trade strategy of forging free trade agreements (FTAs) and obtaining market access for the country’s products and services.

For the European strategy, the Philippines obtained access to the European market through the European Union (EU) Generalized System of Preferences (GSP+) in December 2014.

The country has also commenced formal talks for a PHL-EU FTA, while negotiations are ongoing with the European Free Trade Area (EFTA).

Joining the TPP is expected to provide more opportunities to further strengthen the country’s foothold in the global market with local enterprises, workers, and consumers

benefitting from bigger markets and increased foreign investments.

The TPP agreement intends to eliminate or reduce tariffs, lower the cost of trade, and set new and high standards for global trade for next-generation issues.

The 12 TPP members, which include Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States (U.S), and Viet Nam, announced the conclusion of their negotiations in October 2015.

As a result, this would combine population of the member countries to 800 M and account for 40% of the world’s gross domestic product and 30% of global trade.

The Philippines finished the consultations on TPP last year with Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Malaysia, Canada, and Chile.

It will need an endorsement from the 12 parties of the trade agreement to become part of the TPP.(MAT 07/01)

The launch is the first promotional activity of PAB. The bureau has lined up more advocacy campaigns to inform the general public on the benefits of being an accredited company.

For more information on Philippine Accreditation Bureau (PAB) and accreditation, kindly visit: www.pabaccreditation.dti.gov.ph/.


2. ASEAN Economic Community seen as

a trading powerhouseThe Association of Southeast

Asian Nations (ASEAN) Economic Community (AEC)

officially took effect on 1 January 2016 and achieved its goal to become one trade and investment hub to reckon with in the global economic arena.

The AEC Blueprint was adopted during the 13th ASEAN Summit on Nov. 20, 2007 in Singapore to serve as a master plan for the establishment of the AEC by 2015.

Since January 2010, more than 99.65% of goods have been traded at zero tariff in ASEAN. Very few products remain protected by tariffs within ASEAN. In the Philippines, these are primarily agricultural products including rice, sugar, cassava and sweet potatoes, maize, chicken, and swine.

The AEC, in the medium- to long-term, promises vast opportunities and strong growth potentials for the country.

By integrating ASEAN economies, the AEC will become a single market and production base. It is a tool to make ASEAN more dynamic and competitive. It has positioned ASEAN at the center of global supply chains.

4 Pillars of AEC

1. Single Market and Production Base. It has five core elements, namely, free flow of goods; free flow of services; free flow of investment; freer flow of

capital; and free flow of skilled labor. Under the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement tariffs are already mostly at zero, except for a few products classified as very sensitive.

2. Competitive Economic Region. AEC has endeavored under the ASEAN Highway Network to physically connect key roadways, including the priority Transit Transport Routes, a vital infrastructure and logistics component; at least six out of planned 16 cross-border connections of the ASEAN Power Grid are already in operation. The Trans-ASEAN Gas Pipeline will connect ASEAN’s gas pipeline infrastructure; the agreements and protocols under the ASEAN Open Skies Policy have been concluded and implemented; Telecommunication infrastructure is also undergoing continuous enhancement.

3. Equitable Economic Development. Some 30 business incubators and innovation centers have been established under the ASEAN Business Incubator Network to promote business matching and development.

4. ASEAN’s Integration into the Global Economy. The region has forged ASEAN free trade agreements with six economic partners, which include the People’s Republic of China, Republic of Japan, Republic of Korea, Australia, New Zealand, and India. (MAB02/01)

3. Viet Nam concessions - Philippines trade talks guide with EU

The commitments made by Viet Nam will form a benchmark for the European Union (EU)

when it negotiates a free-trade agreement (FTA) with the Philippines early this year, DTI-Industry Development Group (IDG) Undersecretary Ceferino S. Rodolfo said.

“Definitely [those will be the] standards for the EU side,” Rodolfo added.

Viet Nam in its EU major deal committed to eliminate all tariffs, of which 65% will be within the first year of agreement. The rest will be gradually reduced over a 10-year period.

It sought the removal of other trade and investment obstacles, which can be equally or even more restrictive to business.


Likewise, Viet Nam agreed to an increase in the use of international standards for the inclusion of regionalization and recognition of the EU as a single entity.

It pledged to improve access for EU companies to the service sector, including the post, maritime, and banking. It will also open up some areas of manufacturing to EU investment.

Viet Nam would also address non-tariff barriers in the auto sector and accept the marking of origin “Made in EU” in addition to markings of each member state. It commits the recognition of European geographical indications. EU companies might be given a chance to bid on a wide range on Vietnamese public contracts.

“In general, non-tariff barriers to trade may include measures such as the application of unjustified product standards and sanitary and phyto-sanitary (SPS) conditions to imported products, restrictions to foreign participation in key economic sectors, foreign labor restrictions, corrupt and/or lengthy customs procedures and import quotas,” said European

Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines President Guenter Taus.

“That said, until negotiations start we cannot be sure which non-tariff barriers to trade and which other provisions will be included in the negotiations of the EU-Philippines FTA,” Rodolfo said.

The Philippine talks with the EU will produce a negotiated outcome, with the country having its own selling points.

“One advantage that we have over Viet Nam is we have the GSP+,” he said, referring to the Philippines’ recently gained beneficiary country status for the EU-Generalized System of Preferences Plus, or EU-GSP+.

Under the preferential tariff scheme, the country is allowed to export 6,274 product lines to the EU tariff-free.

“What we want to do is to permanently secure duty-free access for our exports to the EU,” he added. GSP+ covers two-third of the country’s exports, he said. (BWD10/01)

STATWATCHP661.83B Investments approved by the Board of Investments (P366.7B) and the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (P295.1B) in 2015, or 4-% growth over P634.23B in 2014

USD 20.64B Remittances from Overseas Filipinos (OFs) at end-October 2015, 3.67% better than a year earlier

147,509 Jobs generated by PEZA (89,257) and BOI (58,252) in 2015

956 Projects approved by PEZA (598) and BOI (358) in 2015

93.7% PHL’s employment rate in

2015, or equivalent to 38.7M individuals employed,

bringing the jobless rate down to 6.3% from the

previous year’s 6.8% in the country

1.4% PHL’s average inflation rate

in 2015


A synopsis of acquisitions at the DTI-Library and selected online resources

Editor-in-Chief/Patricia May M. AbejoManaging Editor/Alfonso M. ValenzuelaAssociate Editor/Cresenciano P. Par Writers/Flourita M. Reposo, Jamila H. Raposon, Kristina S. Andaya, Martin T. Millete, Renaldo C. Neñeria

Design/Layout/Renaldo C. Neñeria, To subscribe, email: [email protected]

Legend

BWD - Business WorldMAB - Manila BulletinMAT - Manila Time

Unless otherwise indicated with a URL address, copies are available for loan to DTI employees and for research purposes only to external clients. For inquiries/reservation, please call 751.0384 local 2130 or email [email protected].

Title: Guidebook on trade and supply chain

Title: Consumer Reports Buying Guide 2016

Author/:Consumer Reports, New York, 2015. Publisher Call Number: 06.04.09/CON/2015

A compilation of product ratings and recommendations for more than 2,000 brand-name products. This guide gives expert reviews and advice on electronics, home appliances, supermarket items, cars, among others to help consumers make smart, informed buying decisions. Includes a special section on autos that gives special ratings and data on new models as well as the best and worst used cars. Also gives results of retailers surveyed that delivers the best value for a product service. 224p.

Author: Cenzon, Bernadette

Publisher: Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation. Policy Support Unit Singapore, 2015 URL: http://publications.apec.org/publication-detail.php?pub_id=1679

A Guidebook that describes typical supply chains and enumerates stages that needed financing, as well as, how they are financed. Discusses risks in the supply chains and various mitigation mechanisms, financial instruments such as warehouse receipts financing, invoice finance, receivables finance, factoring, forfaiting, and others. Case studies of what had gone wrong in particular actual transactions are presented as examples and provide important insights on regulatory or institutional deficits that need to be bridged and in which APEC can play a role. 92 pages

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