Press Statement of DTI Secretary Ramon M. Lopez
1st Logistics Services Philippines Conference and Exhibition
6 December 2018,  Philippine International Convention Center

[Acknowledgments]

Good afternoon to our friends from media. Today government and the private sector banded together for the First Logistics Services Philippines Conference/exhibition. Based on registration reports, there are approximately 500 participants coming from the logistics services industry, government sector, and development partners.

We are here to focus our attention on the logistics services sector.  Its vital role in the movement of goods and service and its impact on the economy cannot be overemphasized.

Thus, I am joined here in the panel by both government and the private sector to show the country’s solidarity in pushing forward this sector of the economy.

Think about it.  An efficient logistics services sector will not only help the business and its bottomline, it will also help the consumer and the country in general.

Just this morning we heard from the President of the Philippine Multimodal Transport and Logistics Association, Inc. and her positive forecasts on the logistics services sector as a job creator and the sector’s potential for growth.

Transport and logistics are priority sectors in the inclusive industrial led innovation strategy (i3s) and government is poised to provide full support to this industry, as we heard from Asec. Fita Aldaba.

We are circulating to our media friends, the sector’s TEN COMMITMENTS, which serves as guidance in the promotion and development of the logistics services sector.

This “10 Commitments” is a product of series of dialogues among the government, the industry players, and the development partners. It gives a clear-cut direction for all stakeholders in terms of priorities and targets. We have already succeeded in rallying all the concerned sectors to support our priority agenda. The next step is to sustain the momentum and implement the strategies identified in the 10 commitments.

Aside from the conference, we also aim to encourage our exporters to outsource their logistics activities and focus on their core business activity. We hope to link these LSPs through the Logistics Services Philippines Exhibition that will happen tomorrow at the Mezzanine Area of Reception Hall. The Exhibition is organized back-to-back with National Export Congress, which will be participated by 48 logistics services providers (LSPs) offering freight transport service, customs brokerage service, warehousing and storage and cargo handling services. This business-matching activity opens opportunities for our LSPs to link with MSMEs and promote their products and services. We have high hopes that the historic two-day activity will bring positive outcomes for the logistics services sector.

We thank you for your time.♦

Date of release: 6 December 2018