The study looks at the rarely studied customs brokerage activity in the Philippines and its role in facilitating trade given the ongoing push to modernize customs administration. It analyzes how the customs brokerage profession is being regulated and synthesizes insights on opposing views on the...

This study articulates the results of the research team's conversations with regulators and desk review of policies in the sectors affecting logistics and trade facilitation in the Philippines. The study covers air transport, land transport, maritime transport, logistics services, and customs...

The ASEAN+6 countries are currently engaged in negotiation for a Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). If successfully negotiated, RCEP will result into the world's biggest trading bloc, 40 percent of world trade, that offers significant benefits to participating countries. The...

The study identifies outstanding issues and bottlenecks and provides recommendations to facilitate the Philippines' full compliance to its commitments to the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC). Various in-depth interviews and surveys were conducted with concerned stakeholders from government...

The private sector is the driver of growth in most ASEAN economies. It is therefore expected to play a significant role in the process of economic integration in ASEAN. In the Philippines, the private sector has dominated the economy, contributing about 95 percent of GDP, but it has not lived up...

How are the ASEAN+1 free trade agreements facilitating the flow of goods in the supply chain in East Asia? This chapter looks at the experience of the Philippine automotive and electronic sectors"-two sectors that are well integrated into the supply network in East Asia. Using firm interviews,...

This paper discusses the nature of the rules of origin (ROOs) in the ASEAN+1 FTAs, particularly with respect to features and characteristics that could either facilitate or hinder the development of value chains, and the participation of firms in the increased globalization of production. By...

The Philippines has been more cautious in its policy towards free trade agreements (FTAs) than other ASEAN member states, having signed, so far, only one bilateral agreement with Japan in addition to the various ASEAN+1 agreements. While the Government is expected to progressively reduce...

Trade is an important component of the Philippine economy. Contemporary trade is shaped primarily by the evolution of Global Value Chains (GVCs), and this has a significant implication in integrating developing countries, such as the Philippines, into the global economy. An economy's inclusion...