The Marcos administration contacted the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to open talks on new global tariffs imposed by Washington, with a meeting expected to be set soon, a Palace official said Thursday.
“We’ve expressed our desire to meet and they responded positively,” said Special Assistant to the President for Investment and Economic Affairs Frederick Go in a Palace briefing. “I’ll be scheduling a trip to the U.S. soon to engage with the USTR,” he added.
The move signals the government’s effort to avoid potential economic headwinds from sweeping reciprocal tariffs recently rolled out by the U.S., which have stirred concern among Asian exporters.
Several regional economies, including the Philippines, are reassessing the implications for their export-driven sectors.
Go said President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. convened his economic team on Tuesday to assess the impact of the new trade measures, including which industries may be affected and what the government can do in response.
The Philippines faces a 17% tariff under the new scheme—second lowest among Asian economies after Singapore, which stands at 10%. Others are seeing rates as high as 54%.
“That gives us a slight edge,” Go said. “But any additional tariff still affects some Philippine industries,” he added.
Preliminary estimates from the National Economic and Development Authority show a potential 0.1% dip in GDP over the next two years due to the tariffs. Go described the impact as “minimal,” but said the government is not taking any chances.
He added that Manila is also monitoring how neighboring countries are responding and remains in close contact with local exporters to offer support.
“This is only one export sector, and our businesses are resilient,” Go said.
“Still, we want to make sure we’re engaging constructively and doing what we can to minimize any disruption,” he added.
Go also confirmed that ASEAN trade ministers have opened discussions on how to respond to the United States’ new unilateral tariffs.
The bloc is expected to formally reach out to Washington to express concern and seek solutions through dialogue.
“The ASEAN trade ministers have agreed to communicate three main messages to the US,” Go told reporters.
“First, to reaffirm the strong and enduring relationship; second, to express concern over the unilateral tariffs; and third, to engage in frank and constructive dialogue aimed at finding mutually acceptable solutions,” he added.
He emphasized that the regional approach will be anchored on engagement, not escalation. “The keywords are cooperation, not retaliation,” he said.
According to Go, ASEAN nations have also agreed to continue pursuing bilateral negotiations with the U.S. alongside the collective regional talks.
He described this dual-track strategy as a way to maximize opportunities for individual and regional trade interests.
The meeting also focused on ways to boost trade within Southeast Asia itself, with ministers reaffirming the importance of strengthening intra-ASEAN investment and market integration as a buffer against external shocks.
“After all, this is an ASEAN meeting,” Go said. “So naturally, one of the most important conclusions is to enhance regional trade and cooperation.”
Go noted that the meeting’s outcomes are still being finalized, as discussions are ongoing.