
PH promoting MSME products in ASEAN — DTI chief
KUALA LUMPUR — Trade and Industry Secretary Cristina Roque said the Philippines would promote the products of micro, small, and medium enterprise (MSMEs) in the 46th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits.
''We're really very aggressive on everything that the President tells us. Go digital, go AI, make sure that the MSMEs are really well taken care of. Make sure that we're able to really push the products of the MSMEs as well as the products of the entire country,'' Roque said in an interview on Tuesday.
The Department of Trade and Industry remains committed to aggressively advocating for the President's priorities, particularly the call for a digital economy in the region, according to Roque.
Roque said President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. has been holding bilateral meetings with fellow ASEAN leaders, which serve as an opportunity for the Philippines to strengthen relations with other member states.
So far, Marcos has bilateral meetings with Lao PDR, Vietnam, Thailand, and Cambodia.
During the Summit, Marcos also pushed for the urgency of the adoption of the Code of Conduct on the South China Sea and the non-retaliatory measures on the United States' tariffs. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News
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