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Helen Flores - The Philippine Star
April 15, 2025 | 12:00am
Malaysia, which chairs the ASEAN this year, is arranging talks among member-states to explore a common regional approach.
STAR / Edd Gumban
MANILA, Philippines — While the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is pushing for a regional response to the new tariffs imposed by the US on many countries, the Philippines will still proceed with negotiating the 17- percent tariff that the country faces beginning in May, Malacañang said yesterday.
Malaysia, which chairs the ASEAN this year, is arranging talks among member-states to explore a common regional approach.
Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said a team to be led by Special Assistant to the President for Investment and Economic Affairs Frederick Go is expected to meet with US trade officials next month.
“The discussions, negotiations, especially with the ASEAN countries for a joint diplomatic outreach, (to) harmonize messaging of Asian countries continue,” Castro said at a press briefing.
“As to the words of Secretary Go, cooperation not confrontation. So he said they will travel to the US in May, there’s no update yet when,” she said.
In a recent statement, Trade Secretary Cristina Roque said she met with fellow ASEAN economic ministers in a special virtual session to discuss pressing global developments, specifically the recent imposition by the US of unilateral tariffs.
“Our session aimed to forge a unified regional response on the 90-day suspension of reciprocal tariffs, which we acknowledged as a positive, albeit temporary, development. We recognized the necessity for a comprehensive impact assessment to fully understand the direct and indirect consequences of these tariffs on ASEAN member states,” she said.
“We recognized the need to formulate effective mitigation strategies, ensuring the protection of our member-states’ interests and maintaining our investors’ confidence,” Roque said.
Go earlier said they would negotiate with the US trade representative regarding the 17 percent tariff imposed by the Trump administration on Philippine exports.
He said the best possible outcome of the negotiation would be a free trade agreement with Washington.
While the 17 percent duty is the second to the lowest in the region, Go acknowledged that it could still affect some industries.
He said the 17 percent tariff has a possible effect on 0.1 percent of the country’s gross domestic product in the next two years.
