Effects of the AFTA-CEPT Scheme on Philippine Manufacturing Industries

Under the Common Effective Preferential Tariffs (CEPT) scheme of the ASEAN free trade, tariffs on ASEAN products will be progressively reduced to 0-5 percent. Such move benefits exporters to ASEAN markets but harms local producers competing with ASEAN imports in the domestic market. Analysis of the impact of CEPT on the Philippine manufacturing industries is the main task of this paper. This identifies which industries within manufacturing industry win and which industries become vulnerable. This also specifies policies for preparing the Philippine economy to global competition.