Pacci holds organizational meeting; Torres keeps post as chair
FELICIANO L. Torres was recently reelected as chair of the Philippine Automotive Competitiveness Council Inc. (Pacci) in its organizational meeting last Feb. 7, where the new board of trustees and other key officers were also chosen.
Torres said that Trade Secretary and Board of Investments (BOI) Chair Gregory L. Domingo has been aiming to secure the approval of the National Economic and Development Authority Board for the BOI package of support measures within the first quarter 2014.
“While waiting for the support measures that the BOI is preparing for the auto manufacturing industry, we would like to partner with them and other government agencies in pursuit of the cross-cutting “horizontal” measures that we have recommended in the Roadmap that we submitted to them,” said Torres, also a Pacci trustee.
“We are eagerly awaiting that BOI support package, which the industry needs. But in the meantime, it is best to pursue the cross-cutting measures that will serve the entire sector, regardless of the features of the support package,” he said.
Torres said that the cross-cutting measures are very much supportive of existing government mandates.
“For example, we would like to achieve some improvement in the operating environment,” he said. “Pacci’s technical committee will be collaborating with the relevant government agencies to establish and operate a Whole Vehicle Type Approval Program and to more strictly implement the Motor Vehicle Inspection System.”
Pacci will also be working for improved interconnectivity among the Bureau of Customs, Bureau of Internal Revenue, Department of Trade and Industry, and regulatory bodies like the Land Transportation Office to minimize smuggling. And
Moreover, Pacci will focus on the management of the Philippines’ tariff regimes, whether in the global “Most Favored Nation” tariff schedules or under the various free trade agreements. “We are also pursuing our initiatives related to the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean), such as amore liberal Asean Rules of Origin Self-Certification regime, to be prepared for the more competitive environment under the Asean Economic Community.”
Joining Torres in Pacci’s newly elected board and key officers are Michinobu Sugata as trustee and president; Hikosaburo Shibata, trustee and vice president; Eddie Jose, trustee and treasurer; Tatsuya Natsume, trustee; and Nobuo Izumina, trustee.