Exporters urged to participate in active diplomatic advocacy

As the export industry faces another set of "red lights" ahead, exporters are urged to be more vigilant and participate in active diplomatic advocacy.

In his recent visit to Cebu, Philippine Exporters Confederation (PhilExport) president Sergio R. Ortiz-Luis Jr., called on Cebuano exporters to work together in protecting the industry, as this has been through a lot of "bloody" ordeals in the last few months.

"Admittedly, we are still in the first half of the year, and we are already engaged in many battlefields in forwarding the interests of exporters and the families dependent on them. It is a game full of excitement, twists and turns. It keeps us on our toes and always alert," Ortiz-Luis said.

He said most of the industry and chapter leaders sounded desperate. Already, exporters have been incurring P4 to P5 in losses per dollar in sales, with foreign exchange losses for orders booked in 2005 and for delivery in the first half of this year. Exporters, indeed are "bleeding" he said.

He said the war over the peso-dollar exchange rate, has further weakened the export sector in the country.

"Our members, especially those that we have called indigenous exporters for using mainly local raw materials, were on the warpath, saying they were not only hurting, they were close to dying," he said.

Thus, the export industry through PhilExport had been pressuring the Bangko Sentral Ng Pilipinas (BSP) to balance the interest of exporters employing 8 million people and the families of 8 million OFWs as against other segments of the country benefiting from a strong peso.

Aside from the foreign-exchange controversy, exporters were also battered with mounting problems with the government, such as the implementation of new Customs Brokers Act, Anti-Smuggling Law, and the recent Presidential executive order number 502, banning the harvesting, processing, and selling of Abaca fiber nationwide.

"We feel that the industry is walking on a tight rope on the void between two buildings while those monkey wrenches are thrown our way. It is no longer funny since we are deep into rallying exporters in all the regions to do their best to meet the US$50 billion in export target for 2006," he said.

Despite all these, he said "we will continue to do our part in promoting exports through aggressive, vigilant and diplomatic advocacy. More than that, we look forward to more coordinated, more synchronized advocacy efforts among industry associations, regional chapters and their allies."

Ortiz-Luis was in Cebu recently, as a keynote speaker of the PhilExport-Cebu general membership meeting held at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino.

"We have to do [the fight] as a cohesive team. I have no doubt our belief in exports as the main driver of Philippine progress will eventually bear us out," he concluded.