THE Philippines would rally for the adoption of concessions that would commit rich countries in helping developing nations improve on their trade capacity and technical competence in the form of grants under the World Trade Organization’s “aid for trade” program.

Specifically, Trade Undersecretary Thomas G. Aquino mentioned some support mechanisms that would allow developing countries seamless access to the different ports of destinations for their exports.

The reality at this time, he said, is that several shipments of the Philippines and other Third World economies just end up getting detained in their ports of entry or barred from entering their market destinations just because they failed to meet the standards being set by the importing countries.

Aquino said the rich economies, in pursuit of the aid for trade program of the WTO, should arm their poorer trading partners with the technical know-how with “no strings attached” so they could compete better in the multilateral trading scene.

X-ray machines and other port-related equipment should be given in the form of grant to the developing economies to help them facilitate the entry and exit of goods faster.

The Philippines, Aquino said, will prod the WTO members to make the aid for trade program a truly effective intervention tool that would bridge trade and poverty reduction as what the Doha Development Agenda, which was launched in 2001, envisions.

“This is what the Philippines has been saying since the start of the Doha Round,” Aquino said. More grants from rich nations for the technical and capacity building of developing countries, he said, is “something that we will argue with them.” The trade negotiating groups of the different WTO member-countries are set to gather on a “make or break” meeting in Geneva in July.

The G-33 composed of developing countries welcomed the pronouncement of rich countries that they are now ready to discuss in detail the “indicators” that will guide the self-selection of special products, one of the flexibilities that the group is demanding under the Doha Round.

Aquino said they will make sure that the indicators to be agreed upon “will be sufficiently reassuring” that the local producers of critical products will still be able to thrive despite stiff challenge from their imported counterparts.             

The privilege to designate special products that will not be subjected to tariff cuts is one of the developmental agenda being pushed by developing nations.

MAJOR alternative oil player Seaoil Philippines Inc. is hoping to increase to 500 its retail service stations in the country over the next three years.

A TRADE dispute may arise between the Philippines and Vietnam due to the decision of the Vietnamese government to unilaterally impose additional tariff on the products of Global Steel Philippines Inc. (GSPI).

THE European Union (EU) emphasized that the Philippines is among the developing countries to benefit the most in the proposed free trade agreement (FTA) between the EU and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), saying the deal would pave the way for more investment opportunities and facilitate access of the Philippine products into Europe’s rich market.

THE Philippines would rally for the adoption of concessions that would commit rich countries in helping developing nations improve on their trade capacity and technical competence in the form of grants under the World Trade Organization’s “aid for trade” program.

The celebrated cases of the Quisumbings of Cebu involving some P900 million in damages, claims and inheritances may now have to go through the full route after Wesy B. Quisumbing, who is largely credited for rehabilitating the ailing Norkis-Summa Group of Companies starting in the 1980s but was later disowned by her parents allegedly for “exercising” her femininity, decided to withdraw from the mediation proceedings.