British Chamber welcomes JETCO dev'ts, UK companies growth in Philippines

Philstar.com

January 31, 2026 | 4:54pm

The British Chamber of Commerce Philippines (BCCP), through its recently held Forecasting 2026: UK-PH Economic Perspectives delved into the developments under the UK-Philippines Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO) as well as market opportunities for the growing British businesses in the Philippines ahead of the country’s ASEAN Chairship.

BCCP Executive Vice Chairman Chris Nelson, in his welcoming remarks, noted the significance of convening leaders from the government and the private sector and cited that, “The Philippine economy continues to face a challenging environment marked by domestic constraints, climate-related disruptions, declining foreign direct investments, and subdued domestic demand. Externally, trade restrictions, shifting policy landscapes, and moderate growth among key partner economies present further risks as the country looks toward 2026.”

(Department of Trade and Industry International Trade Group (ITG) Undersecretary Hon. Atty. Allan B. Gepty and Department for Business and Trade Chief Negotiator, Asia-Pacific Partnerships Dr Ron Yip)

Department of Trade and Industry International Trade Group (ITG) Undersecretary Hon. Atty. Allan B. Gepty highlighted the Philippines’ ASEAN Chairship agenda and opportunities focusing on inclusive growth, digital transformation, semiconductor industry, and reinforcing the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) towards MSME growth. Usec. Gepty further noted that, 

Meanwhile, the UK Department for Business and Trade Chief Negotiator for Asia-Pacific Partnerships Dr Ron Yip also recognized the opportunities for the Philippines and its significance as the UK’s dialogue partner. He noted that the UK is, “thinking about what are the prioritie on the UK side, that we can use to support ASEAN and work with ASEAN countries like the Philippines in order to drive growth. We are thinking about areas like digital trade, regulatory standards, but also how do we support SMEs in a more effective way and what's the work that we can do at an ASEAN level in order to facilitate that as well.”

Yip further added that the UK supports the Philippines’ application to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) which it formally submitted in August 2025. He noted that, “UK acceded to CPTPP in 2023 and the agreement went live for us in 2024. And of course the Philippines has applied to exceed the agreement as well. And on the UK side, we very much support the expansion of the membership of the agreement. And so we very much welcome applications from those interested parties, of course, including the Philippines.”

Figures from the DTI showed that the UK currently ranks 23rd in the Philippines’ total trade, 18th in exports, and 22nd in imports, yet trade continues to grow, with Philippine exports to the UK reaching US$546.5 million in 2024. 

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