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Philippines

Proposed Asean-Hong Kong FTA has Manila’s backing
10-Apr-2014
Manila is strongly supporting the proposed Asean-Hong Kong free-trade agreement (FTA) as this would further ease the flow of trade between China and the Philippines.
Top Filipino, US businessmen to lobby for PH inclusion in TPP
9-Apr-2014
A group composed of top Filipino and American business leaders would help lobby for the Philippines’ inclusion in the US-led Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal, on top of initiatives to attract more American investors into the country, the Philippine envoy to Washington said.
Free trade agreements threaten access to medicine by the poor in Philippines
7-Apr-2014 Focus
Ambitious free trade agreements in the Philippines would pose serious threats to access to medicines for the poor by providing greater patent rights to pharmaceutical companies, the EU-ASEAN Campaign Network said Tuesday ahead of an international meeting of pharmaceutical companies in Manila.
Philippines: Talk deal set with EFTA
3-Apr-2014 Business World
An agreement that will spur further talks on a possible trade arrangement between the Philippines and the four-member European Free Trade Association (EFTA) is expected to be signed in June
Manila, Washington begin consultations on Philippines’ possible TPP entry
21-Mar-2014 InterAksyon
A Philippine government delegation recently met with a top official of the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) to explore Manila’s possible participation in a new free trade area that Washington is pushing among Asia-Pacific countries.
EU-PH FTA must be comprehensive – UK
11-Mar-2014 Manila Bulletin
The British government would like the proposed EU-Philippines free trade agreement to be a comprehensive one with very few exceptions.
Asean free trade agreement with HK expected to benefit PH
6-Mar-2014 PDI
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations is eyeing to forge a free trade agreement with Hong Kong, which is seen to benefit the Philippines significantly, according to Trade Secretary Gregory L. Domingo.
Philexport urges competition ‘safety nets’ for small fishers
17-Feb-2014 Business World
While the Philippine fisheries sector is generally seen as competitive under the proposed free trade agreement with the European Union, exporters said the government should still provide small fishermen with “safety nets” from stiffer competition.
PH: Businessmen mixed on country’s TPP bid
3-Feb-2014 Business World
"The Philippines should not just enter into a deal out of fear of being left out," Alfredo M. Yao, president of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, says.
PHL-EU free-trade pact ‘catastrophic’ for 1.8 million Filipino fishermen–group
30-Jan-2014 Business Mirror
The Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) on Wednesday warned the Aquino administration against entering into a bilateral free trade agreement with the European Union, saying the forging of such an agreement will lead to the flooding of imported fish from EU member-states.
Philippines launches last-minute bid to join new Asia-Pacific FTA
29-Jan-2014
Officials of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) will hold talks with their US counterparts within the next two months in a last-minute bid to join discussions for a free-trade area (FTA) in the Asia-Pacific region.
Study says fish-sector players to suffer with PHL-EU trade deal
27-Jan-2014 Business Mirror
In the likelihood of a free-trade agreement between the Philippines and European Union, big processors, exporters of fish and the fish consumers in general will be the gainers while small-scale fishermen, small-scale fish processors and marketing agents, including women, will be among the losers, PIDS said in a report issued recently.
PH to seek more concessions under deal with Japan
27-Jan-2014 PDI
The Philippine Department of Trade and Industry is seen to press for more agricultural concessions for the country under the Philippines-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement, the general review of which is expected to be completed this year.
PHL sets sights on inclusive growth from free trade deals
8-Jan-2014
The government will put more teeth on initiatives, including education drives and linking small- and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) to trade chains, to make free trade agreement (FTA) benefits trickle down to the grassroots, an official said Tuesday night.
DTI to give more lectures on FTAs
8-Jan-2014
To boost the country’s use rate of free trade agreements, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is planning to give more lectures on FTAs the Philippines is party to and tap social media to expand the program’s reach.
Philippines: Businessmen prepare for free trade accords
5-Jan-2014 Manila Standard
The largest group of businessmen in the Philippines is preparing for new trade agreements that will enable the country to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.
PH-EU free trade agreement may start talks in first quarter of 2014 - trade official Cristobal
27-Dec-2013 InterAksyon.com
The initial stages of negotiations for the Philippines-European Free Trade Agreement may start first quarter of 2014, Trade undersecretary Adrian Cristobal Jr. said.
Taipei-Manila ECA study almost complete: envoy
9-Dec-2013 China Post
A feasibility study on signing an Economic Cooperation Agreement (ECA) between Taiwan and the Philippines is nearing completion, the Philippines’ top envoy to Taiwan said recently.
Possible FTA with EU raises fears for agriculture
26-Nov-2013 Business World
Further opening up the Philippine’s agriculture industry to competition with the European Union through a free trade agreement may put the sector at risk, according to the head of the non-government organization IBON Foundation, Inc.
Concerns over FTA with EU raised
13-Nov-2013
While details of a possible trade pact between the Philippines and the European Union (EU) have yet to be finalized, a non-government organization has expressed concern that the agreement would be too ambitious for the Philippines and undermine its development.