The Philippines and Israel are moving forward with plans for a free trade agreement (FTA) after signing summary discussions at the inaugural Philippines-Israel Joint Committee (JC) meeting Monday.
The signing ceremony was led by Philippine Trade Secretary Ma. Cristina Roque and Israeli Minister of Economy and Industry Nir Barkat. It marks a significant step in deepening economic cooperation between the two nations.
The JC meeting formalized the intent to pursue an FTA and identified priority areas for collaboration, including agriculture, high technology, renewable energy and cybersecurity.
“We’re exploring this, but before we can get started, we need to begin consultations with different stakeholders and industries,” Roque said.
“But we hope that we can really push for the free trade agreement right away,” she said.
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) expects the agreement to be concluded before President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s term ends.
Barkat noted Israel’s extensive experience with FTAs. “We have over 16 FTAs. We’ve already signed one with Vietnam last year, and earlier with Korea. We’re now working with India and Japan, and we want to continue this with the Philippines,” he said.
He cited the complementary strengths of the two economies, highlighting how Israel’s agricultural technology expertise could boost productivity and modernize Philippine farming systems.
“This FTA is a classic win-win, as the Philippines looks to adopt advanced technologies to raise productivity and GDP, that’s where we come in,” Barkat said.
Roque underscored the Philippines’ interest in attracting Israeli companies, particularly those involved in agricultural innovation.
“We need to level up our agricultural sector, and Israeli technology is very high-tech and very promising. It’s exciting, especially since food security is a top priority for our President,” she said.
DTI Undersecretary Allan Gepty welcomed the development, saying the FTA initiative aligns with the government’s broader goal of expanding the country’s trade network.
“Of course, we don’t want to preempt the negotiations, but these are key interests for both parties,” Gepty said.
If concluded, the FTA is expected to provide broader access for Philippine exports to Israel while encouraging more Israeli investments and knowledge transfer in critical development sectors, including agriculture, clean energy and cyber defense.
