THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said it hopes to organize exporters into three “clusters” to create vibrant ecosystems among industries to raise their international competitiveness.
Trade Secretary Alfredo E. Pascual told the Philippine Exporters Confederation, Inc. (PhilExport) on Aug. 31 that the three clusters are Industrial, Manufacturing, and Transport; Technology, Media, and Telecommunication; and Health and Life Sciences.
“(The) DTI’s strategic priority (is) to reconfigure the Philippine export sectors into industry clusters… Export activities are Industry Tier I. They are considered… fundamental to our country’s development,” Mr. Pascual said.
“Export activities hold high potential to create jobs. They optimize value creation, and provide key support to sectors that drive industrial development, among others,” he added.
Mr. Pascual expressed the hope that micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) integrate themselves into the value chains of exporters to scale up their operations.
“MSMEs are the backbone of our economy. They comprise 99.5% of about a million registered businesses in the Philippines. As MSMEs bring about a virtuous cycle of livelihood, they help make communities more prosperous and inclusive,” Mr. Pascual said.
“We look forward to working with you, our exporters, in building dynamic industry ecosystems as our foundation,” Mr. Pascual added.
PhilExport President Sergio R. Ortiz-Luis, Jr. said he welcomes “whole-of-government” support in creating a “conducive policy environment” for exporters.
Mr. Pascual has said that the government has started drafting the Philippine Development Plan for 2023-2028, which seeks to upgrade the Philippines’ role from an exporter of commodities and intermediate goods to an exporter of high-value products and services.
The Philippine Statistics Authority estimates that merchandise exports rose over 14% to $74.6 billion in 2021.
The top export markets in 2021 were the US, China, Japan, Hong Kong, and Singapore, the DTI said. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave