Tag: Department of Trade and Industry

Manila, Philippines – Local food and beverage company Universal Robina Corporation (URC) has been named by the country’s Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) as the top exporter of processed foods and beverages in the Philippines.

Based on value transactions recorded by the Philippine Statistical Authority (PSA) for 2019, Universal Robina’s export transactions have reached more than USD 30M for the said  year.

In a press statement, URC Vice President for global exports and frontier markets Brian Go stated that exporters are moving forward despite constraints on trade during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, as more lockdowns are imposed.

“This recognition for our hard work and dedication to our customers is especially meaningful, given the challenges businesses, and our nation as a whole, are facing because of the Covid-19 pandemic,” Go stated.

Universal Robina’s Brian Go, Vice President for Global Exports and Frontier Markets

Furthermore, the recent announcement also aligns with the country’s Export Development Council goals,  to which they stated that ‘export companies navigated their way to adapt to the abrupt digital transformation.’

“We looked at those companies who took their chances by embracing the shift of the changing business landscape towards a post-COVID-19 world…we wanted to hear their stories – their stories of survival, recovery and resilience and what their plans are as the country now moves towards the resurgence phase,” the council said during this year’s National Export Congress.

Universal Robina, through its Exports Group, is distributing their brands such as Jack ‘n Jill snacks, Great Taste instant coffee, and C2 ready-to-drink tea across 38 market countries. 

At present, the Global Export business unit serves nations and territories in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Indian Ocean islands, North Asia, and Oceania, and the Pacific Islands. Its Philippine office also distributes its products to affiliate URC companies in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Malaysia.

Manila, Philippines – The Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) have recently collaborated in pushing a digital market platform that is based on an end-to-end system between farmers and consumers.

The platform is called Deliver-E, and allows buyers to directly access agricultural products and other basic food items. As the system eliminates middlemen, products are sold fresh at low prices.

In a press statement, DA Secretary William Dar (depicted in the banner picture) pledged that the recent platform development is part of the department’s pledges for the agricultural sector, upscaling the agriculture value chain and improving overall food security in the country even beyond the COVID-19 crisis.

“With the sheer size of agricultural supply chains, only a multi-stakeholder approach to their management could free up the bottlenecks. This event sparks hope that many heads are coming together to assist key supply chain players with their technological needs and constraints. Online is the new byword of food security. We are fully embracing the digitalization of the agriculture sector as we journey towards the 4th Industrial Revolution, or Agriculture 4.0,” Secretary Dar stated.

Developed by tech startup Insight Supply Chain Solutions (InsightSCS), the platform has also received support from private sector partners, farmer cooperatives, and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

DTI Secretary Mon Lopez commented, “Let us try to create a Better Normal where all Filipinos can enjoy the fruits of our country’s inclusive growth and shared prosperity for all.” 

Manila, Philippines – With increased online spending during the pandemic also comes a surge of online purchase complaints, and this has been evident in Southeast Asia market The Philippines, with the country’s Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) revealing that a total of 14,869 complaints have been made against online shops this year, according to a report by Philippine News Agency.

The complaints were made from the period of January to October this year, where according to DTI Undersecretary for Consumer Protection Group Ruth Castelo, nature of the complaints spanned violations of the Price Act, the quality of products, and deceptive, unfair, or unconscionable sales acts or practices.

Being the top e-commerce sites in the country, Shopee and Lazada were reported to account for the majority of complaints with a combined 6,907 number of flags.

Compared to the full year of 2019, complaints against Lazada grew three-fold from 1,014 to 3,475 complaints for the first 10 months of 2020. Meanwhile, those against Shopee increased over five times, from 607 complaints from the end of 2019, to a total of 3,432 complaints this year.

“Ninety percent of the total online complaints from October 2020 are against two of the more familiar platforms,” said Castelo.

She added the remaining complaints last month involved transactions on Facebook and other online platforms.

In early October, news about a scammed student astounded Filipinos, where a 20-year-old received rocks instead of his ordered laptop.

Manila, Philippines – The country’s Department of Trade and Industry has rolled out its new Christmas-themed web series on YouTube titled “PASA-LOVE” to highlight various local and regional products in the country.

The web series, which translates to “Share The Love,”is the department’s answer to promote the “Buy Local” campaign, especially as Filipino entrepreneurs are hugely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The “Buy Local” campaign aims to help these entrepreneurs stay afloat by patronizing their products.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Xg0dF_4RRo&t=90s

“A lot of our countrymen have lost their jobs and their businesses due to the pandemic. Thus, this is the perfect time to let them feel the real spirit of Christmas. Through simple patronization of locally-made products, we can share our love for the country, and show the real definition of unity. Buy local, give local this Christmas,” said Blesila A. Lantayona, DTI’s regional operations group undersecretary.

The “PASA-LOVE” web series premiered last November 3 and has currently released its fourth episode, where the department has already promoted food products from the Cordillera region, locally-made shoes, and sandals from Marikina City, and heritage crafts from the Western Visayas region. More episodes are set to be released on its YouTube channel.