The British Chamber of Commerce Philippines is the recognised voice of British businesses in the Philippines, promoting members’ interest with government and business associations in the Philippines.
British Chamber of Commerce Philippines’ Business and Trade Accomplishments
The British Chamber of Commerce (BCCP) has assisted 2,000 British companies since it started the Overseas Partner Delivery (OPD) Project last April 2014. The services offered include contact referrals, market introduction, market research and Trade Mission.
To date, a total of 54 British companies have been assisted by the Chamber through the Business Support Service (BSS). The sectors represented by our clients are, Food & Beverage, Retail, ICT, Construction, Healthcare, and Business Consultancy among others. Currently, the Chamber is assisting several UK clients from different sectors including Education & Training, Electronics, Logistics and Software.
BCCP has helped British companies successfully do business in the Philippines, including Pizza Express (retail), Linn Products Ltd. (audio equipment) and Verder UK (industrial pumps). Other assisted companies are still in the process of negotiating agreements with local companies.
Trade Mission to Iloilo (8-9 March 2018)
BCCP has actively demonstrated its support to the government’s 10-point socioeconomic plan, particularly in promoting regional investment. In March, a Trade Mission to Iloilo was organised with 150 delegates making it the biggest Trade Mission organised by the Chamber.
Philippine Economic Briefing and BCCP Event with DTI Secretary Lopez in London (25 and 27 September 2018)
BCCP has also been active in supporting the Philippine government’s efforts in promoting investment opportunities, in particular, infrastructure development.
In September, Philippine economic managers went to London for the Economic Briefing which was attended by 250 business leaders from leading UK companies. The briefing was followed by a roundtable discussion with DTI Secretary Ramon Lopez, which was attended by 20 companies interested to know more about the business landscape in the Philippines. The roundtable discussion was jointly organised by BCCP and UK-ASEAN Business Council (UK-ABC).
BiSEA Roadshow in the UK (30 April-11 May 2018 and 15-26 October 2018)
To further promote export and investment opportunities in the Philippines, BCCP Chairman Chris Nelson attended two Britain in Southeast Asia (BiSEA) Roadshows in the United Kingdom. He met with 165 British companies with business interests in the region, representing a wide range of sectors – including Education and Training, Food & Beverage, Retail, ICT, Logistics and Healthcare. The Chamber has been continually assisting these companies; many with great export potential into the Philippines.
UK-PH Trade Relations
The British Chamber continues to engage with local businesses, business groups, British Embassy and key players from the public sector to strengthen UK-Philippine trade relations and support the national government’s efforts to improve competitiveness and ease of doing business in the country.
Project Repeal
Among the projects supported by BCCP is the National Competitiveness Council’s (NCC) Project Repeal. It seeks to repeal laws that are deemed redundant, outdated or mandating burdensome procedures to the public. Through this, it aims to further lower the cost of doing business in the country and lessen additional procedures thus, boosting efficiency in service delivery by the government.
Ease of Doing Business Act
In relation to boosting the country’s attractiveness to foreign investors, BCCP has been active in discussions about the ease of doing business. It actively shares insights of the British business community on their views and how the enactment of the law can boost the country’s competitiveness.
RA 11032 were authored by Reps. Ferjenel Biron, Luis Raymond Villafuerte, Vilma Santos-Recto, Winston Castelo, Arthur Yap, Gus Tambunting, and Manuel Zubiri.
Retail Trade Liberalization Act
Furthermore, BCCP supports Representatives Ferjenel Biron and Arthur Yap in amending RA 8762 or the Retail Trade Liberalization Act of 2000. There is a keen interest among foreign investors in the retail trade market of the country however, many still see the requirements as restrictive. BCCP looks forward to seeing more concrete efforts to ease restrictions on foreign investments in particular, in retail, construction and education.
Her Majesty’s Trade Commissioner (HMTC) for Asia Pacific’s Visit to Manila
The UK has been looking for opportunities to advance its interests, priorities and ambitions through a new independent trade policy post-Brexit. On the 30th of October 2018, HMTC for Asia Pacific, Natalie Black, visited BCCP.
As part of forging strong partnerships, BCCP engaged in a dialogue to share priorities and concerns in order to leverage trade and investment not only in the Philippines but in the whole Asia Pacific region.
