Delegates from the United States Mission to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and United States Agency for International Development’s ASEAN Policy Implementation (USAID API) Project and Customs Commissioner Yogi Filemon Ruiz agreed to broaden economic integration and meet the Philippines’ commitment to digitizing trade processes and optimizing intra-ASEAN trade potential.

The Bureau of Customs implements trade facilitation initiatives under the technical assistance provided by the USAID API Project, whose officials recently paid a courtesy call to Ruiz.

The activities support the implementation of the National Single Window (NSW) and connectivity with the ASEAN Member States for the cross-border exchange of the electronic Certificate of Origin (eCO), the ASEAN Customs Declaration Document (ACDD), and the electronic Phytosanitary Certificate (e-SPS).

USAID ASEAN also provides technical assistance to the BOC in implementing the ASEAN Framework on Digital Data Governance.

The partnership is in line with Ruiz’s commitment to accelerate and expand digital economy integration as aligned with the Eight-point Socioeconomic Agenda of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. #