PH Gov’t to Continue Tariff Negotiations With Trump Admin

US President Donald Trump previously slapped a 17% tariff on Philippine exports coming into the United States.

The Philippine government is set to continue meeting with representatives of the United States government in an effort to lower the reciprocal tariffs slapped on the country. 

This was confirmed by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Cristina Roque, who said in a statement that “The negotiation is a process. Not a one-time meeting.”

According to a report by the Philippine Star, Roque was in the United States last week with Special Assistant to the President for Investment and Economic Affairs Frederick Go to negotiate with the US government regarding the tariffs. Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez was likewise part of the initial meeting.

Per the report, the Philippine government wants to request that the 17% tariff be lowered to zero. 

Meetings to Continue Between PH and US 

Philippine government representatives engaged in discussions with the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) in Washington. However, according to a report by GMA News, Roque declined to elaborate on the meeting as Philippine officials were made to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA). 

Roque affirmed that Philippine officials successfully addressed all relevant industries in their discussions with the USTR. She also confirmed that they effectively conveyed the priorities and requests of the various sectors involved.

“Everything that we wanted to talk about was discussed in the meeting… In fact, they said we were very comprehensive… We tackled all industries that we want to tackle,” said Roque. 

In a move that threatened to start a trade war, US President Donald Trump slapped a 17% reciprocal tariff on goods coming from the Philippines as part of a tariff policy that affected every country in the world. 

The 17% tariff imposed on the Philippines is one of the lowest in Asia. Southeast Asian neighbors Vietnam and Thailand were slapped with 46% and 36% tariffs, respectively. Even worse, a 145% tariff was slapped on China.

As governments around the world scrambled for a response, President Trump eventually declared a 90-day pause on his sweeping tariff policy. This 90-day pause is set to end on July 8, according to CNN, which means there are only roughly two months left before these tariffs take into effect. 

PH Government Forms Technical Working Group 

In response to the importance and urgency of these trade discussions, the Philippine government has announced the formation of a technical working group (TWG). 

According to Go, DTI Undersecretary Allan Gepty has been tasked with the responsibility of resuming trade talks with the TWG from USTR. He added that both TWGs will come up with a framework that is meant to guide the direction of trade between the US and the Philippines. 

It is expected that this trade framework will be completed before the end of the 90-day pause on the reciprocal tariffs.