UACT

National Exporters’ Week. The Mindanao Regional Trade Policy Centre in partnership with the Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc. Region 12 held a forum on the benefits of free trade agreements, climate change; and, mainstreaming industry-academe partnership for trade policy development on December 7, 2009 at the Phela Grande Hotel, General Santos City. Among the speakers were Assistant Secretary Ramon T. Kabigting of the Bureau of International Trade Relations; Ryan Patrick Evangelista, U-ACT Executive Director, and Atty. Angela Ibay, Climate Change Attache’ of the British Embassy Manila.

The Visayas Regional Trade Policy Centre, in partnership with the I-MUST National Secretariat held a forum on the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (AANZFTA) last November 23, 2009 at the Training Centre of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Assistant Secretary Ramon T. Kabigting (seated, center) of the Department of Trade and Industry- Bureau of International Trade Relations (DTI-BITR) was the speaker for the activity.

Rather wait for ASEAN to decide on whether to pursue free trade agreement with EU, the Philippines should commence negotiations for a bilateral FTA with EU, a study commissioned by the Universal Access to Competitiveness and Trade (U-ACT), the think tank of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) said.