TradeNet MoA expected to be signed next month

THE Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) said improvements to the TradeNet online platform are expected to be approved and rolled out by early December.

In a statement on Thursday, the ARTA said it met on Nov. 4 with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and the Department of Finance (DoF) to iron out the remaining issues with the draft memorandum of agreement (MoA) to be entered into by the two departments.

According to the ARTA, the MoA has been held up since 2019, but signing is now expected in the next few weeks.

“The TradeNet is now connected to the ASEAN Single Window System and is undergoing technical improvements,” the ARTA said.

Following the meeting, the DICT agreed to lead TradeNet’s technical operations, such as its management and maintenance, while the DoF will lead the onboarding of 73 Trade Regulatory Government Agencies (TRGAs) onto the platform.  

TradeNet seeks to reduce the processing time and synchronize the permit procedures for imports and exports. It is expected to increase trade between the Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries.  

The platform allows the government to transact and exchange customs and other trade-related documents with other Southeast Asian countries.

“ARTA will monitor all the agencies on their compliance with the mandatory onboarding (onto the) TradeNet platform. This is to simplify and harmonize the permitting and licensing processes concerning imports and exports of the 73 TRGAs which was the purpose of ARTA’s previously issued Memorandum Circular,” ARTA Officer-in-Charge and Undersecretary Ernesto V. Perez said. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave