The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) through the Export Marketing Bureau (EMB), in partnership with the Export Development Council (EDC) and the Philippine Exporters Confederation, Inc. (PHILEXPORT), is set to resume the onsite conduct of the National Exporters’ Week (NEW) activities on 01-07 December 2022.

Last year, the NEW focused on global trends, export empowerment, and recovery through innovation, digital transformation, and new technology. This year, the NEW focuses on discussions and activities that will pave the way towards “Exporting Breakthroughs” for Philippine-based exporters and the Philippines as an exporting nation. It emphasizes the need to harness the experience, expertise, and knowledge of both public and private stakeholders in international trade and the need to build on our competitive advantage by pursuing innovation and diversification and cultivating a competitive mindset among all stakeholders.

“The thematic discussions and activities during 2022 NEW aim to capacitate Philippine exporters, particularly MSMEs, as they go through their exporting journey from developing their products and services, creating their marketing and promotion strategies, and delivering to their customers. We urge all our exporters to grab this opportunity to listen, learn, and participate in the diverse export-related topics and export marketing activities that will happen this 1st week of December. To be globally competitive, we must actively engage, learn and seek opportunities for continuous development,” Trade Promotions Group (TPG) Assistant Secretary Glenn G. Peñaranda said.

Meanwhile, PHILEXPORT President Sergio R. Ortiz Luis Jr. expressed optimism that despite the many challenges, the export industry can achieve its growth target of nearly $120 billion to $130 billion from exports of goods and services in the next five years.

“The next Philippine Export Development Plan is more aggressive, highlighting technology and stronger collaborations towards innovation, skills upgrading, and integration to help counter the negative impacts of issues such as red tape, supply chain disruptions, increasing business costs, climate change, and other challenges,” said Ortiz Luis Jr., also EDC Vice Chairman.

Every first week of December is declared Exporters’ Week per Presidential Proclamation 931, Series of 1996. The government and the private sector commit to working together continuously to sustain export promotion and development.

For this year’s celebration, a series of activities are organized for the Philippine exporters and would-be exporters free of charge. Four (4) Usapang Exports sessions will be lined up with extensive export-related topics, business-to-business matching activities, and an exhibition featuring exporters, export enablers, and e-commerce platforms and service providers. The event will be held at the Marriott Hotel, Pasay City. To register, visit the link: https://bit.ly/UsapangExports2022.

Exporters will also be able to reach out, network, and seek guidance from our Export Enablers in the Exporters and Export Enablers’ Exhibit on 05-06 December 2022, which will feature export-related services of government agencies, financing institutions, startups, and other trade-related organizations.

As part of the 2022 NEW activities, DTI-EMB also collaborated with the International Trade Centre (ITC) and European Union (EU) Delegation to the Philippines for the ARISE Plus Philippines’ The Green Transition: Opportunities and Challenges for Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) in the Philippines.

It will bring together international and national experts and practitioners to create awareness of the new agenda for sustainable growth of the EU, also called the ‘Green Deal,’ and to discuss the related opportunities and challenges for Philippine exporters and MSMEs in accessing the EU market.

Part of this collaboration is the institutionalization of the partnership of DTI and ITC for the SheTrades Hub in the Philippines, which was launched earlier during the 2020 National Export Congress. It aims to increase the international competitiveness of women entrepreneurs.

Philippine exporters with exemplary performance and contribution in 2021 will be recognized during the Exporters’ Night.

The culminating event for this year’s NEW, the 2022 National Export Congress (NEC) will be held at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) on 07 December 2022. The NEC will cover the discussions on how the government aims to pave the way for exporting breakthroughs in the next six years. You may register at: https://bit.ly/NEC2022Registration.

You may follow DTI-EMB on Facebook (fb.com/dti.export) and Twitter (@dtiexport), and Instagram (@dti.export) for more updates.♦

Date of Release: 22 November 2022