BIMP-EAGA Day 02

• CUSTOMS AND LOGISTICS ADVOCATES OF THE PHILS. INC. (CLaP)
• Contacts: 0977-787-0499 (Art) email: [e-mail]
• CLaP ESCOLTA REVIEW MATERIALS ARE PROTECTED UNDER THE INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAW AND THE LAW OF KARMA
• The materials are distributed to those enrolled in the CBLE review for their exclusive use only
• Enrollees are not allowed to reproduce, distribute, share under the pain of criminal prosecution and the harsh punishment of karma of difficulty in passing the CBLE and difficulty in dealing with customs and tariff matters for life
• Unauthorized recipients are likewise forewarned
• APEC


  • Ensures goods, services, investment and people move easily across borders
  • Facilitates trade through faster customs procedures
  • Aligns regulations and standards across the region
• Multilateral Trade Agreement (MTA)


  • Involves many nations at one time
  • Treats all nations equally
  • Levels the playing field for poorer nations
• Multilateral Trade Agreements

  • GATT-WTO
  • The Doha round of trade agreements
• Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA)


  • Agreement between two sides
  • Each side could be a country, trade bloc, or informal group
• Bilateral Trade Agreements

  • PJEPA
  • AKFTA Agreement
• Unilateral Trade Agreement


  • Treaty that benefits only one country
  • Imposed on one country by another
• Unilateral Trade Agreement


  • GSP Scheme
• APEC was established in 1989 as an informal Ministerial-level dialogue group with 12 members
• In 1998, APEC reached full membership at 21 Pacific Rim countries
• APEC has no treaty obligations required of its participants
• Decisions made within APEC are reached by consensus
• APEC members report their progress towards achieving free and open trade and investment goals through Individual Action Plans and Collective Action Plans
• APEC’s Three Pillars

  • Trade and Investment Liberalization
  • Business Facilitation
  • Economic and Technical Cooperation
• APEC operates as a cooperative, multilateral economic and trade forum
• The criterion for APEC membership is that the member is a separate economy, rather than a state
• APEC uses the term “Member Economies” rather than “member countries”
• An annual APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting (AELM) is attended by the heads of government
• GATT was set up in 1947 as a Negotiating Forum on the reduction of trade barriers
• GATT is a Multilateral Treaty which provides rules for international trade
• GATT is an International “COURT” for the settlement of trade disputes
• GATT consisted of 8 rounds starting at the Geneva Round of 1947 up to the Uruguay Round (1986 - 1994)
• The Final Act concluding the Uruguay Round and officially establishing the WTO regime was signed

  15 April 1994
• WTO was created during the GATT Uruguay Round and entered into force on 01 January 1995
• The Philippines is a WTO member since 01 January 1995
• WTO Structure

  • Ministerial Conference
  • General Council
• The Ministerial Conference is the topmost decision-making body of the WTO
• The General Council meets regularly to carry out the functions of the WTO
• The WTO Agreement on Trade Facilitation is the first multilateral trade agreement concluded since the WTO was established
• The TFA entered into force on 22 February 2017
• The Uruguay Round provided for the conversion of Quantitative Restrictions (QRs) to tariffs – “TARIFFICATION”
• RA 8178 is the Philippines’ “Agricultural Tariffication Act”
• Minimum Access Volume (MAV) is the amount of imports of an agricultural product allowed to be imported into the country at a customs duty lower than the out-quota customs duty
• MAV is overseen by the MAV Management Committee of the Department of Agriculture
• The Agreement on Trade Facilitation (TFA) was adopted by the General Council in November 2014 to bring the TFA into the WTO’s legal framework