THE government is rolling out a centralized digital trade platform that will integrate 72 agencies to simplify import and export procedures and reduce processing delays.
The agencies will be added to the National Single Window–Integrated Trade Facilitation Platform (NSW-ITFP) in four phases between 2026 and 2028.
The system is being developed under a build-operate-transfer arrangement with TradeX Network Inc., with implementation to be led by the Department of Information and Communications Technology.
The Department of Finance, which on Tuesday welcomed the rollout, will serve as the lead policy and oversight agency for trade facilitation reforms.
The phased implementation will consolidate trade-related regulatory processes that are currently handled separately by multiple agencies.
“The National Single Window will reduce red tape, lower costs, and speed up trade transactions,” Finance Secretary Frederick Go said in a statement.
“By digitalizing regulatory processes, we are making it easier to do business in the Philippines and strengthening our competitiveness in the global economy,” he added.
The government expects to reduce paperwork, shorten processing time, and improve interagency coordination — factors long cited as causing trade transaction delays.
Under the initial rollout, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and the National Tobacco Administration have already completed user acceptance testing for key processes, including the authority to release imported goods (ATRIG) and import commodity clearance.
Both agencies began live operations with selected clients on June 22, 2026.
“Integrating eATRIG into the National Single Window helps us do exactly that under the Digital and Data Transformation pillar of the BIR DARES Reform Agenda and supports our ongoing efforts to make compliance simpler and government services more efficient,” Tax chief Charlito Martin Mendoza said.
“Through the NSW-ITFP, eATRIG will help replace the manual ATRIG process with a more efficient, standardized, and secure digital workflow,” he added.
