Philippine officials recently met with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in Washington, D.C., where both sides engaged in “very productive” and constructive discussions on key trade issues.

In a press briefing in Malacañan Palace, Special Assistant to the President for Investment and Economic Affairs Secretary Frederick Go shared positive outcomes from the recent trade dialogue in Washington, D.C.

“During the meeting, we were able to raise all matters that have been brought up to us by our stakeholders, by the export industries dito po sa Pilipinas,” Go said. “At ang magandang balita po ay, I think, our discussions were very productive, and I believe the meeting went extremely well.”

He noted that the semiconductor and electronics industry—currently the Philippines’ top export to the U.S.—was among the key priorities discussed during the May 2 meeting.

Go said the discussion also covered other sectors, such as coconut, garment, furniture, food processing, and automotive parts.

“What I can tell you is that the technical working groups, the Foreign Trade Office of the Department of Trade and Industry, is taking over from here, discussing with their counterparts at the USTR Office to be able to work out the details of whatever discussions we have,” Go said.

On April 2, U.S. President Donald Trump announced “reciprocal” tariffs, setting a minimum 10-percent baseline tax on imports from all countries and introducing higher rates for nations with significant trade surpluses with the United States.

The policy initially translated to a 10 percent ad valorem duty for the Philippines, with an additional 17 percent country-specific duty.

However, on April 9, President Trump adjusted the policy by declaring a 90-day suspension of the new tariffs for most countries, including the Philippines. | PND