Manila: The Philippine government has established a technical working group (TWG) to further the ongoing discussions with the United States regarding its reciprocal tariff. This was announced by Special Assistant to the President for Investment and Economic Affairs (SAPIEA) Secretary Frederick Go.
According to Philippines News Agency, in a briefing at the Palace on Monday, Go stated that the TWG will be engaging with the United States Trade Representative (USTR) following an initial high-level meeting between Manila and Washington DC that took place on May 2. "The technical working groups now will be the one to meet. In particular, if you want to know, it's Undersecretary Allan Gepty of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) that will be continuing with the discussions with his counterparts at the USTR office," Go elaborated.
Frederick Go, who is also President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s economic czar, mentioned that these technical working groups are tasked with developing a framework to guide the future of US-Philippines trade relations. This framework is expected to be finalized before the expiration of the 90-day pause on the reciprocal tariff.
However, Go refrained from disclosing further details regarding the framework, citing the confidentiality of his recent engagements with the USTR. "Hard for me to predict because there are two sides that need to get together to agree. This is not purely about what we want from our side. But there is that 90-day moratorium period, which I believe both sides will work towards coming up with a framework before that period is over," he commented in a mix of English and Filipino.
DTI Secretary Cristina Roque also confirmed plans for future meetings between the Philippines and the US to address the issues surrounding the reciprocal tariff rate. "The negotiation is a process. Not a one-time meeting," Roque stated in a Viber message.