President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. approved on Tuesday the proposed Philippine Export Development Plan (PEDP) 2023 to 2028 aimed at capitalizing on export growth opportunities amid the current market trends, developing local industries, and making the Philippines a global player in terms of exports.

In a press briefing in Malacanang, Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual said the proposed Export Development Plan formulated by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) pursuant to the Export Development Act of 1994 defines the country’s export thrusts, strategies, programs and projects.

“And our proposal is actually in line with the Philippine Development Plan which was earlier released by the administration. This export development plan will capitalize on export growth opportunities considering market trends and the available or existing competencies in the Philippines among our industries,” Pascual said.

“It seeks to undertake an industry development-centric approach to make the Philippines a major player in the global economy and achieve sustainable development goals,” he said.

The President is expected to sign a Memorandum Circular defining and instructing the various agencies of their respective roles in the PEDP to carry out a whole-of-government approach in implementing the program.

Pascual, on the other hand, stressed that before the Philippines can export, it needs to produce. He said the first challenge is helping industries produce products that can compete in the market.

According to Pascual, the export plan outlines three strategic actions to develop the export clusters: addressing production constraints; developing a strong innovative export ecosystem; and increasing the Philippines’ mindshare in the global market.

He said the DTI has also identified four priority industry clusters in line with the Philippine Development Plan.

These clusters include industrial machinery and transport; technology, media and telecommunications; health and life sciences; and, modern basic needs of a resilient economy.

To make the Philippines at par with other countries in terms of the export sector, the Trade Secretary said the government has to address the weakest point in this area by developing the country’s manpower and by improving the quantity and quality of exportable products.

“Just to cite an example, there’s a big market for durian in China. We cannot cope with the required quantity,” Pascual said.

“In other areas, same thing... I mentioned gain development ? we’re starting to do this software development but we need more skilled manpower. So, there is constraint in availability of skilled manpower. So, we have to address that constraint.” Presidential News Desk