Senators push zero tariffs on PH heated tobacco, agri exports
The Manila Times · 11/6/2026, 12:02:00 AM Philippine time
Excerpt from The Manila Times. Read the original report below for the complete story.IN a major push to expand market access for Philippine exports, senators are seeking the total elimination of Japanese tariffs on locally manufactured heated tobacco products (HTPs), fruits and other agricultural products.The reciprocal trade proposal was pitched by Senate Foreign Relations Committee Vice Chairman Sen. Erwin Tulfo and Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food and Agrarian Reform Chairman Sen. Francis Pangilinan during an official parliamentary visit to the Japanese Diet to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Philippines-Japan Friendship.The push for zero tariffs aims to modernize the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement. Signed originally in 2008, the treaty slashed or outright eliminated duties on over 90 percent of goods exchanged between the two Asian partners.However, emerging alternative sectors, such as HTPs, and shifting agricultural dynamics were completely unmapped when negotiations closed nearly two decades ago. The Department of Trade and Industry has been working to finalize renegotiation rounds to keep the bilateral framework relevant in the face of newer regional trade agreements.“With the…