BY TONY CHAVEZ
The Bureau of Customs (BOC) and the United Nations (UN) ESCAP recently published a study entitled: "National Feasibility Study on Cross-border Electronic Exchange of Trade-related Data and Documents: The Philippines," which assesses the readiness of the Philippines in implementing electronic trade data exchange with potential partners in the Asia-Pacific region.
The study is accessible on the ESCAP website at https://tinyurl.com/PH-Feasibility-Study.
Conducted in close collaboration with the Bureau of Customs (BOC), the National Single Window–Technical Working Group (NSW-TWG), and the Philippine Trade Facilitation Committee (PTFC), this study offers a detailed evaluation of the need for enhanced interoperability and integration among the systems of the BOC and its Trade Regulatory Government Agencies (TRGAs).
The joint feasibility study identified China, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, and the US as critical potential trading partners for adopting the electronic exchange of data and documents. It highlights the top three papers for prioritization in cross-border electronic exchange: the Certificate of Origin, Export Declaration, and Phytosanitary Certificate.
The report also provided the current landscape of trade facilitation in the Philippines, focusing on the impact of paperless trade on Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) that benefit most from streamlined, digital trade processes. The study's key findings reveal significant progress in the Philippines' digital trade infrastructure, with many digitalized customs operations. However, challenges, including manual processes in permit and license applications and a need for standardized data formats across government agencies, still need to be addressed. These issues mainly affect SMEs, which account for 99.5% of firms and 63.2 % of employment in the country.
The study advocates for policy development in areas such as capacity-building, standardized digital data governance, and emerging technologies. (With Bernie Anabo)
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