Economic czar Frederick Go off to the US for tariff dialogue

Special Assistant to the President for Investment and Economic Affairs Secretary Frederick Go | PHOTO: Screen-grabbed from the official facebook page of Radio Television Malacañang (RTVM)

MANILA, Philippines —  The Philippine government has reached out to the United States Trade Representative (USTR) for a possible dialogue regarding the 17 percent tariff imposed on Philippine exports, Special Assistant to the President for Investment and Economic Affairs Secretary Frederick Go said.

The USTR is the office responsible for all trade tariffs.

“We’ve reached out to the USTR and we have communicated with them our desire to engage in a meeting or dialogue with them and they have positively responded so I will be scheduling a trip to the United States to meet with the USTR soon,” Go said at a Palace briefing on Thursday.

In his planned trip to the US, Go said he would not “appeal” but negotiate for a possible free trade agreement between the Philippines and the US.

‘Free trade means zero tariff’

“Free trade agreement means zero tariffs on their side, zero tariffs on our side – that’s probably the best possible outcome of that meeting but again it’s open communication, dialogue, cooperation and let’s see what we can negotiate,” he said.

READ: Malacañang says 17% tariff from US on PH goods has ‘minimal impact’

The Palace downplayed the 17 percent tariff earlier, saying it would only have a “minimal” impact on the country.

“The impact of this won’t be too big. It will be very minimal,” Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said in a briefing last April 3, citing a Department of Trade and Industry statement.

She also insisted that this development is “good news” for the Philippines.

“The 17 percent tariff that will be imposed is good news because many countries are getting imposed with even higher ones. Among those countries, our tariff is at the second lowest just behind Singapore,” she said.