PH eyes full National Single Window rollout by end of Marcos term

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine government is targeting the full implementation of the National Single Window through the Integrated Trade Facilitation Platform (NSW-ITFP) by the end of the Marcos administration, according to the Department of Finance (DOF).

Finance Undersecretary Rolando Ligon says the system is expected to be fully operational within the next two to three years, with the bulk of the 72 participating agencies beginning their onboarding this year.

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“We’re starting to roll out the government agencies included in the NSW. Within the year, we expect a number of Department of Agriculture agencies that will be included,” Ligon says.

He added that the National Tobacco Administration and the Bureau of Internal Revenue have already begun the onboarding process this month.

The NSW-ITFP is an unsolicited project under the public-private partnership (PPP) project that will serve as a one-stop shop for the submission and processing of trade-related documents and permits across government agencies. The contract for the project was signed in December last year.

“The project aims to facilitate trade by streamlining and digitizing processes for import, export, and international trade-related regulatory requirements,” according to the PPP Center.

“By enabling end-users and stakeholders to submit standardized information and documents through a single-entry point, the project seeks to enhance efficiency, transparency, and compliance across the international trade ecosystem,” it adds.

20 agencies

According to Ligon, more than 20 agencies are expected to be onboarded this year under the first phase of implementation.

A document from the PPP Center showed that another 17 agencies are scheduled for onboarding under Phase 2, followed by 22 agencies in Phase 3 and 13 agencies in Phase 4.

“It’s difficult to onboard all agencies at once because they use different computer software and platforms. It’s better to onboard a few agencies first so we can see what problems we might encounter. After that, the onboarding of the other agencies should be smoother,” Ligon says.

Separately, Ligon says it may no longer be necessary to extend the three-month suspension of excise taxes on kerosene and liquefied petroleum gas or LPG, which was implemented in mid-April in response to an oil price shock caused by supply disruptions stemming from the Middle East war.

“Right now, with the trend of oil prices, let’s pray the rollbacks continue. If that is maintained, we most likely don’t have to extend the suspension,” Ligon says. INQ