DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS 
P R E S S  R E L E A S E
www.dfa.gov.ph                                                 2330 Roxas Blvd., Pasay City, Philippines                                               Tel. No. 834-4000 

SFA-AGR-309-05                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             23  May  2005

DECLARATION ON THE DEVELOPMENT AND PROMOTION OF THE PHILIPPINE SERVICES BY THE PHILIPPINE SERVICES COALITION
THE CONSERVATORY, MANILA PENINSULA
23 MAY 2005

Services is the fastest growing sector of international trade. Over the last decade, the Philippines has increasingly become a services-oriented economy, with the services now accounting for more than half of the country’s total GDP. The services sector is an important, steady, and robust source of domestic growth, employment, and development.

Filipino service providers, however, need unwavering support to fully take advantage of global services opportunities and challenges. They need strong multi sectored assistance to leverage their competitive advantage in the world market.

Desirous of further enhancing Philippine competitiveness, we agree to establish a Philippine Services Coalition (hereinafter Coalition) spearheaded by the DFA to engage in services development and promotion, with funding from the European Commission’s Asia Trusty Fund (EC/ATF) and technical assistance from the International Trade Center (ITC).

As members of this Coalition, we seek to achieve the following objectives –

1. To increase both public and private sector awareness of global services export opportunities;
2. To facilitate public and private sector consultation and forming networks and alliances for the effective promotion of services exports;
3. To encourage the crafting of market development, promotional, and institutional services export strategies;
4. To promote individual and institutional capacity building activities that will enhance and strengthen stakeholder involvement both in services export promotion and services trade negotiations.
In furtherance of these objectives, we commit ourselves to coordinate and synergize the efforts of different  services stakeholders from government, the private sector, and the academe.   We agree to achieve the outputs and activities laid down in the Project Document between the EC/ATF/ITC and the Philippine Services Coalition.   In so doing, we hope to respond to the President’s agenda on job creation and the mandate of the Public-Private Sector Task Force on the development of globally competitive Philippine services industries.

We welcome all other institutional stakeholders top join this Coalition and sign this Declaration.

So agreed, this 23rd day of May 2005 at Makati City

Signatories:

the Department of Foreign Affairs:
the Department of Trade and Industry:
the National Economic and Development Authority:
the Asian Institute of Management Policy Center:
the Foreign Service Institute:
the Philippine Institute for Development Studies:
the Angelo King Institute / De La Salle University:
the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry:
the Philippine Exporters Confederation, Inc.   END
 

/jay