THE Department of Finance (DoF) said it plans to onboard 51 additional government agencies into the TradeNet system, a single window platform for trade in Southeast Asia, by next year.
DoF Chief Economist Gil S. Beltran said four agencies are already on the platform.
“Before the end of this year, there will be (another) 18 agencies that will interconnect with TradeNet,” he said at a press briefing last week.
Agencies already in the platform include the Bureau of Customs, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, the National Tobacco Authority, and Biodiversity Management Bureau.
TradeNet is the online trade platform linking the Philippines to the ASEAN Single Window. The government will be able to transact and exchange customs and other trade-related documents with its counterparts in Southeast Asia through the system.
Trade-related agencies process permits and licenses related to the global movement of goods.
Agencies that will be onboarded before the year ends include the Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Standards, the Trade department’s Export Marketing Bureau, the National Meat Inspection Service, the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority, Sugar Regulatory Administration, Optical Media Board, Bureau of Plant Industry, Philippine Nuclear Research Institute, and the Bureau of Quarantine.
The Philippine Coconut Authority, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, the Philippine National Police’s Firearms and Explosives Office, Oil Industry Management Bureau, Bureau of Animal Industry, National Telecommunications Communications, Bureau of Internal Revenue, Department of Foreign Affairs, and the Philippine Fiber Industry Development Authority will also be included.
The DoF said these 18 agencies have already done the critical onboarding stages. Another 51 will be included in 2022 after the government enforces the onboarding plan.
The Anti-Red Tape Authority in April said it would issue warnings to trade-related agencies that have not yet signed up to the platform.
The DoF has said the ASEAN single window would help cut trade costs. — J.P. Ibañez
