In an interview with One News PH, PIDS Senior Research Fellow Dr. John Paolo Rivera discussed the implications of the new 20% US tariff on Philippine exports, particularly for key sectors such as electronics, garments, and agriculture. He emphasized how the tariff could threaten the country’s export competitiveness, reduce revenues, and lead to job losses in export-oriented industries.
To mitigate the impact, Dr. Rivera urged the government to strengthen diplomatic ties, pursue export diversification, and boost trade with regional partners through agreements. He also called for investments in value-added production and business environment reforms, stating:
“It's a wake-up call for us to start investing more into our technology, into our production capacities, and of course into our ease of doing business so that business would go to the Philippines regardless of the small margins in tariff differential with respect to other countries.”
Watch the full interview here: https://youtu.be/GsAJr4tMwCI?t=1413
