THE Department of Trade and Industry’s Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM) said it is seeking additional funding next year to expand its export promotion activities.
“We are now working on a bigger budget for export promotion, for industry development, and also for capacity building for our micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs),” CITEM Executive Director Leah P. Ocampo told reporters last week.
She said the goal is to achieve funding parity with the Department of Tourism’s promotion arm.
“Right now, we have less than P300 million … (and we need) at least the equivalent of that of our tourism counterpart’s budget. I think they have (around) P1.5 billion. There has to be a review of the budget allocations,” she said.
“We have to be very serious in promoting our exports or to at least develop our industries for export. We have to have a bigger budget,” she added.
She said that CITEM has been advocating for greater priority for export promotion in light of looming trade disruptions.
“Export promotion is not being given enough attention. We actually understand that because the government has other priorities than exports,” she said.
“I think even President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. realized that, and that’s also the reason why he actually came up with an executive order (EO) strengthening CITEM as an export promotions agency. I think that’s a big move,” she added.
EO 75 was signed on Nov. 22. It reorganized the CITEM Governing Board, which now comprises department secretaries, the Government Service Insurance System, and representatives from the Office of the President and the private sector.
“I have been really pushing for a bigger budget for CITEM. And I think with EO 75, we are getting the attention that we need, and the Department of Budget and Management is very sympathetic to us, so I am hopeful that we will get a bigger budget next year,” Ms. Ocampo said.
For this year, she said that CITEM will be participating in five events in China, Europe, and Italy. — Justine Irish D. Tabile
