Thu - May 24		Manila - Members Discussion with Crown Agents to discuss Customs Integration The US-Philippine Business Committee will meet with Anthony "Tony" Tissington, Crown Agents Project Director and the Philippine Bureau of Customs contractor for the implementation of the National Single Window (NSW). This will be an opportune occasion to discuss the NSW and the ASEAN Single Window (ASW) in preparation for the Council's Customs Mission which will convene from June 6-8 on the sidelines of the 21st Annual ASEAN Customs Director-General Meetings in Manila. To RSVP please email Evelyn P. Mariano by Tuesday, May 22, at emariano@usasean.org or via fax at (632) 814-04-06. For inquiries on the Council's Customs Mission please email Patrick Waterman at pwaterman@usasean.org
Wed - Jun 06 -- Thu - Jun 07		USABC Customs Mission Working Groups: Customs The Council will conduct our 2012 Customs Working Group Mission from June 6 - 8. The Conference will be held in the Marriot Hotel, no.10 Newport City Complex, Pasay City, Philippines. The Council and members are scheduled to meet with all 10 ASEAN Director Generals on 4:00 PM on Friday, June 8, 2012 Registration: Deadline Friday, May 18, no exceptions For inquiries, please contact Ms. Meand Luk at mluk@usasean.org and Patrick Waterman at pwaterman@usasean.org.

The US-Philippine Committee is a platform for American businesses to engage the Philippine Government and collectively address broad based policy concerns that affect American businesses in the Philippines.

To achieve this goal, the 2012 Work Plan aims to :

• Support bilateral government to government (G2G) initiatives.
• Lend private sector support to Philippine Government programs.
• Develop a positive working relationship with members of Philippine Congress.
• Build Business to Business (B2B) relationships with key Philippine business stakeholders.
  
  

Committee Programs in the Philippines

The Council, via our bilateral arm the US-Philippines Business Committee, leads annual business missions to the Philippines.  Over a two-three day period the delegates meet with the top leadership of the Philippines government, U.S. Embassy, private sector, academics and other "thought leaders".  Additionally, the Council host regular monthly member roundtable discussions in Manila with key Philippine Policy makers.

Since the 1990's, the Council has fielded a permanent office, led by its Philippine Representative in Manila. Today, the Council's Philippine Representative, Ms. Evelyn Mariano, brings a wealth of Philippines experience and important connections to the benefit of Council members. Ms. Mariano is available to members to assist in formulating advocacy strategy, communicating with government officials, arranging meetings for members, clarifying and reporting on government policy and actions, and responding to all member requests in Philippines.

Committee Programs in the United States

The Council continues to regularly host events and dialogues with visiting Philippine government officials and Philippine business tycoons in Washington, New York City and other cities throughout the United States. Recent Council programs in the United States have included such Filipino officials as: President Benigno S. Aquino III, Vice President Jejomar Binay, Finance Secretary Cesar V. Purisima, Trade and Industry Secretary Gregory L. Domingo, Senator Koko Pimente, DMCI Holdings President Isidro Consunji and many others.  

Additionally, the Council maintains excellent relationships with the U.S. Department of State and the Philippine Embassy in Washington. We regularly host members discussions with U.S. based desk officers and with visiting officials from the U.S. Embassy Manila. The Council also conducts meetings with Philippine Ambassador to the United States, Jose L. Cuisia Jr., and his economic team over quarterly member coffee meetings.  

Success Stories in the Philippines

The US-ASEAN Business Council has been at the forefront of supporting  the efforts of the American business community to do business in the Philippines.  The Council has successfully advocated for the Philippines to adopt policy reforms to permit greater foreign investment in domestic energy sector, liberalize the telecommunications industry and address issues related to corruption and governance.  In 2008, a US power company successfully made a $1 billion investment in the Philippines electricity industry.  With strong support from the private sector, the Philippines passed one of the first comprehensive national renewable energy laws in ASEAN to attract new investment into this emerging growth area.  In 2009, the Philippines further liberalized its telecommunication  industry to enable the sector to continue to support the development of the Philippines's world class BPO industry.