07 February 2025, Seoul – The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), through its Export Marketing Bureau, and the Korea Trade Network jointly held the 2nd Invitational Program for the Implementation of the FTA Origin Management System (OMS) Project last 13-25 January 2025 in Seoul. 

15 participants – representing the DTI, Board of Investments, Bureau of Customs, Tariff Commission, and the Department of Agriculture – participated in the program that served as a platform to discuss best practices in the operationalization and utilization of similar systems in Korea. These government agencies are responsible in servicing export and import processes and requirements in the Philippines.

During the 2-week long program, several components of the Project were discussed, such as, (i) the OMS design and the digitalization of the Product Evaluation Report (PER) management system; (ii) the utilization plan for the Philippines-Korea Free Trade Agreement; and (iii) origin determination, post-verification, and Country of Origin issuance processes. 

To equip participants with deeper understanding of FTA utilization and gain insights into Korea’s best practices, visits to Korean government agencies and industrial sites were also organized, such as to the National Information Resources Service, Busan Port Authority, Hyundai Asan Plant, Samsung Innovation Center, Kolmar Korea, and Amorepacific Factory, among others.

The Origin Management System Project aims to promote the use of FTAs in the Philippines while enhancing administrative efficiency for the Philippine government and reducing processing time and costs for Philippine MSME exporters. 

Supported by the Korean Government, through the Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology, the project comprises consulting, system development, and capacity building and activation support across 30 months. 

The first component of the project, the Philippine FTAs Information Portal (FIP), was officially launched in December 2024 during the National Exporters’ Week in Manila. The FIP provides a comprehensive set of FTAs and GSP-related resources, which includes export guidelines, utilization data, and a rules of origin simulator, among others. 

The second component of the project, the FTA Origin Management System, is expected to be completed within the year. Consultations with and training sessions for Philippine exporters, as well as system pilot tests, are planned for the first half of 2025. 

“We thank the Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology and the Korea Trade Network for their utmost support that makes this project possible. The completion of this project comes at a very opportune time as we jointly implement the Philippines-Korea Free Trade Agreement. The implementation of this project will not only strengthen Philippine exports but will also benefit national economic development and further promote national innovation in the Philippines. We look forward to working more closely with Korea on synergistic initiatives that benefit both our countries,” says Maria Theresa B. Dizon-De Vega, Philippine Ambassador to Korea.

To know more about Philippine FTAs, visit the portal at https://philippineftas.dti.gov.ph/. END

Philippine delegates to the 2nd Invitational Program on the Implementation of the FTA Origin Management System (OMS) Project last 13-25 January 2025 in Seoul. They are joined by Commercial Attaché Charmaigne Mignon S. Yalong of PTIC-Seoul.