Export Market Guide - Philippines
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Regulatory information for exporting wine goods to the Philippines, including the regulatory environment, duties and taxes, and permitted additives.
Unless an exemption has been granted by Wine Australia, grape products exported from Australia must comply with the Food Standards Code. Accordingly, the labelling and wine standards information in Wine Australia’s Export Market Guides should be read in conjunction with Wine Australia’s Licensing and Compliance Guide which contains the requirements of the Food Standards Code and applicable exemptions.
The Philippines is still a developing nation yet it is one of the most westernised in Asia due to its history of foreign occupation. The Philippines endured over 300 years of Spanish rule from the 16th century, ending in 1898. The Spanish occupation introduced Roman Catholicism to the Philippines which is still the major religion of the country. The Philippines was then occupied by America who introduced English to the people. After being occupied by the Japanese during the Second World War, the Americans were able to finally grant full Independence to the island nation on 4 July 1946.
Although the Americans had introduced democracy to the Philippines, the country has suffered from political instability until recent years, with a period of dictatorship between 1972 and 1986. The end of the dictatorship has seen vast improvements in terms of political and economic stability.
The Philippines is a founding member of ASEAN and a member of APEC. Australia and New Zealand signed a Free Trade Agreement with ASEAN (AANZFTA) in February 2009. AANZFTA is the largest FTA Australia has concluded. ASEAN is worth about $89 million in average annual exports of Australian wine. The Philippines phased all its tariffs to 0% in 2015.
Regulatory environment
The two principle agencies for administering food safety standards in the Philippines are the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), under the Department of Health, and the Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Standards (BAFS) of the Department of Agriculture (DA).
The main laws governing food safety and trade include the Food, Drug and Cosmetics Act (RA3720) which ensures the safety and purity of food and is administered by the FDA and the Food Safety Act of 2013 (10611) which administers the food safety regulatory system in the Philippines and sets standards from harvest to consumption. This law is administered jointly by the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health. The Food Safety Act is accompanied by the Implementing Rules and Regulations of 2015.
Labelling and composition is governed by the FDA through Administrative Order 30 (2014), ‘Labelling of Pre-packaged Food Products’ while Bureau Circular No. 2006/016 regulates wine standards.
The Philippines has a number of duties and taxes applicable to imported wine and a lengthy product registration process which must be completed before importation can begin. The Bureau of Customs is responsible for the importing process.
“PROSECCO” has legal protection as a geographical indication in this market. Wine Australia understands Australian producers are prohibited from exporting Australian wine described and presented as “Prosecco” to this market.