DTI steers exporters to non-US markets By Andrea E. San Juan
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HONORING HEROES Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong, US Ambassador to the Philippines
MaryKay Carlson, and National Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. lead the commemoration of the 80th Victory Day at the US Ambassador’s Residence in Camp John Hay, Baguio City, on Wednesday, September 3, 2025. The annual event honors Filipino and American veterans of World War II, marking Japan’s formal surrender in 1945 that ended the war in the Pacific. MARILOU GUIEB
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HE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said it is steering exporters toward other markets such as Europe, Asean and the Middle East as it expects the full effect of the Washington-imposed tariff to begin to reflect in the August export data onwards. In a statement sent to reporters on Thursday, Trade and Industry Secretary Cristina A. Roque said: “The surge in US-bound shipments in recent months was largely driven by frontloading activities/accelerated shipments ahead of the implementation of the 19-percent reciprocal tariff by the US, which took effect in August.” The Philippines’s Trade chief said
this “strategic” move by exporters was aimed to mitigate the immediate impact of the tariff hike. “As such, we anticipate that the full effect of the tariff will begin to reflect in the August export data onwards,” Roque said. With the trade data and export performance in the coming months reflecting such impact, the agency, she said, is “intensifying” its support programs to help businesses stay competitive and find new markets. In particular, she said DTI is “actively guiding” exporters to explore new markets like the EU, UK and Middle East. “Projects like READY4EU offer tailored support to food exporters entering Europe, while digital tools like the FTA Information Portal help businesses take advan-
tage of lower tariffs under trade agreements,” Roque said. Apart from this, DTI is helping exporters connect with buyers through business matching activities and hands-on assistance with export documents and customs procedures. In its efforts to boost the capabilities of small businesses, the Trade department has been conducting “nationwide learning sessions and offering coaching” on packaging, marketing, and international standards. Last week, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported that the country’s outbound shipments amounted to $48.62 billion in the January to July 2025 period, up 13.9 percent from the $42.69 billion in the seven-month period in 2024.
Economists explained this increase thus: the tariff impact had not yet been felt, and traders were frontloading shipments. The United States remained the Philippines’s top export market, with $7.76 billion or 16-percent share. This was followed by Hong Kong, as the Philippines earned $6.83 billion in exports or 14.1-percent share; Japan, $6.80 billion or 14-percent share. A month before the implementation of the 19-percent country reciprocal tariff imposed by Washington on Philippine exports, exports to Japan posted the fastest growth rate, or by 14.9 percent; followed by Hong Kong, 14.1 percent and the United States by 12.7 percent. Explaining this trend, Former See “DTI,” A15
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Friday, September 5, 2025 Vol. 20 No. 327
P25.00 nationwide | 2 sections 26 pages | 7 DAYS A WEEK
By Reine Juvierre S. Alberto @reine_alberto
S the government’s outstanding debt hit a new record high of P17.563 trillion as of end-July, with expectations of easing the burden by yearend, corruption over efficiency in public spending clouds genuine debt reduction. Latest data released by the Treasury on Wednesday night showed outstanding debt jumped by 11.9 percent to P17.563 trillion
as of end-July from P15.689 trillion a year ago. The debt stock also inched up by See “End-July,” A15
NEW LAW SIGNED PUSHES FOR ‘EQUITABLE MINING REVENUE’ By Jonathan L. Mayuga and Samuel P. Medenilla
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RESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed on Thursday Republic Act (RA) 12253 or the Enhanced Fiscal Regime for Large-Scale Metallic Mining Act, a measure which Malacanang said would ensure an equitable share of mining revenues for the government. Representatives from two
mining groups representing the industry’s big players in mining witnessed the signing. The government is expected to generate an average of P6 billion per year until 2029, while providing better protection to the environment and miningaffected communities. It is also expected to help generate more jobs by attracting more responsible mining firms in the country. See “New,” A2
NUCLEAR TRIAD In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, drones and other armament formations pass during the military parade to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II at
Tiananmen Gate in Beijing, Wednesday, September 3, 2025. The parade featured for the first time China’s “triad of strategic nuclear forces”—air-, sea- and land-based missiles capable of delivering nuclear warheads—presented as the country’s “strategic trump card” for safeguarding sovereignty. Among them were the new DF-61 intercontinental ballistic missile, the DF-5C silo-based missile, and the JL-1 and JL-3 long-range missiles. Also highlighted were new anti-ship weapons—the YJ-15, YJ-17, YJ-19 and YJ-20—aimed at deterring US naval power in a potential conflict over Taiwan. LIU XU/XINHUA VIA AP
Funds for key DOTr infra projects slashed By Lorenz S. Marasigan
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TRADE FAIR LAUNCH The 39th Negros Trade Fair: HIMBON officially kicked off with its media launch at SM Aura. This year’s edition gathers 139 vendors, showcasing the best of Negrense food, fashion, crafts, and culture. As the country’s longest-running provincial trade fair, it makes its historic debut at the SMX Aura Convention Center in BGC from September 23–28, 2025. In photo (L–R): Ms. Christina Gaston, President of the Association of Negros Producers; Mr. Steven Tan, President of SM Supermalls; and Ms. Mary Ann Colmenares, Vice President of the Association of Negros Producers. SM SUPERMALLS
HE Department of Transportation (DOTr) is seeking a P197.33-billion budget under the 2026 National Expenditure Program (NEP), higher than this year’s allocation but barely a third of the P531.74billion the agency had proposed for its transport infrastructure agenda. Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez presented to the House Committee on Appropriations the 2026 NEP of the agency, noting that it is almost a tenth higher than the 2025 NEP of P180.94 billion and more than double the P87.99 billion approved under last year’s General Appropriations Act.
About three-fourths of the budget, or P149.64 billion, is earmarked for capital outlay. The central office stands to receive P149.87 billion, followed by the Philippine Coast Guard with P35.40 billion, the Land Transportation Office with P7.20 billion, and the Office for Transportation Security with P1.78 billion. However, the proposed budget remains almost two-thirds lower than what the DOTr had pitched. Only 32 of the 166 projects submitted by the agency made it into the NEP, slashing allocations across railways, roads, aviation, and maritime programs. The deepest cuts fall on the railway sector, where proposed allocations were reduced from a proposed
P283.64 billion to just P122.26 billion. The Metro Manila Subway Project alone lost more than P21 billion, while the North-South Commuter Railway was pared down by nearly P30 billion. Entire projects such as the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) Line 4 and the Philippine National Railways (PNR) South Haul were dropped from the spending plan, along with structural rehabilitation works for both Light Rail Transit (LRT) Lines. Road-based initiatives also suffered steep reductions. From an initial P37.31 billion, the sector will get only P4.97 billion, leaving the Davao Public Transport Modernization and Cebu Bus Rapid Transit projects with significantly smaller allocations. The govern-
ment’s fuel subsidy program for drivers and operators was struck out altogether. The aviation budget proposal was also reduced from P19.83 billion to P6.17 billion. The New Dumaguete Airport Development Project lost over P3 billion, while planned upgrades for the Laoag, Bicol, and Tacloban airports were either trimmed or removed. Lastly, the maritime sector’s proposed budget was cut from P25.45 billion to P8.51 billion, effectively excluding the planned acquisition of 40 fast patrol craft, as well as the Maritime Safety Capability Improvement and Maritime Safety Enhancement projects. Numerous locally funded port modernization See “Funds,” A15
PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 57.4480 n JAPAN 0.3881 n UK 77.2503 n HK 7.3657 n CHINA 8.0443 n SINGAPORE 44.6025 n AUSTRALIA 37.5767 n EU 66.9959 n KOREA 0.0413 n SAUDI ARABIA 15.3109 Source: BSP (September 4, 2025)