DTI Secretary Ramon Lopez Speaks at the Roundtable Discussions on Philippine Trade and Investment Opportunities
Secretary of Trade and Industry Ramon T. Lopez (center) and Ambassador Jose C. Laurel V (fourth from right) pose with representatives from Japanese Trading Houses, Financial Institutions, and LOI Signatories at the Roundtable Discussions on Philippine Trade and Investment Opportunities held on 30 November 2018 in Tokyo, Japan.
The Philippine Embassy in Japan, through the Philippine Trade and Investment Center-Tokyo (PTIC-Tokyo), organized a series of Round Table Discussions on Philippine Trade and Investment Opportunities in the Philippines on 30 November 2018.
Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon T. Lopez briefed 39 companies from three groups of businessmen, namely, the Japanese Trading Houses, the Financial Institutions, and the LOI Signatories during the 2017 Visit of President Rodrigo Duterte to Japan on the Philippine economy.
Secretary Lopez explained that the proposed TRABAHO Bill is actually a more focused and potentially more competitive package compared to the existing package of incentives, contrary to general apprehensions by media and business groups who continue to express that the TRABAHO Bill will make the Philippines less attractive compared with the rest of the ASEAN Member Countries.
In general, the business groups were satisfied with the explanations and clarifications given by Secretary Lopez and Undersecretary Ceferino Rodolfo. Secretary Lopez assured them that discussions are on-going among the DTI, the Department of Finance and the Senate to further fine tune the bill.
