The government online trading facilitation portal known as TradeNet gained traction with the Departments of Finance (DoF) and of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) now working closely with the Department of Agriculture (DA) for its “full rollout and development.”

This was learned from the DoF who said the DA has issued the order for its personnel to coordinate with the DoF and DICT on incorporating their sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) certificate issuances under TradeNet.

“The DA is a key component of TradeNet as it is among the regulatory bodies that process permits for imports and exports, particularly of agricultural products such as rice, which is now freely imported under the rice tariffication law subject to the compliance by traders of SPS requirements,” the DoF said.

According to Finance Undersecretary Gil Beltran, the DA has assembled project teams not only in TradeNet but also under the ASEAN Single Window (ASW) which aims to link the Philippines to its regional peers, allowing the exchange of border documents among them.

Beltran also said the TradeNet has already started processing the permits both for imports and exports.

Likewise, Beltran said TradeNet will perform the functions of the government’s national single window (NSW) which will interconnect with the ASW.

According to DoF, the Philippines is expected to join the ASW sometime in November 2019.

The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), which is among the initial adoptees of the platform, has already begun processing special export permits online for six pilot firms namely, Merck Inc., Unilab Inc., Pasar Corp., Roche Philippines Inc., Petron Corp. and Coral Bay Nickel Corp.

“PDEA’s online processing involves the approval and issuance of import and special export permits on dangerous drugs, controlled precursors and controlled chemicals,” Beltran said.