Manufacturers said that if the two “Big Bold” reforms at the country’s top tax collection agencies — Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and Bureau of Customs (BOC) — are implemented faithfully, these will lower transaction cost and help local enterprises focus on growth.
In a statement, Federation of Philippine Industries (FPI) Chairperson Elizabeth H. Lee lauded the “bold reforms” announced by the government’s economic team. These are the BIR DX Roadmap 2025–2028 and the BOC’s NSW ITFP (National Single Window – Integrated Trade Facilitation Platform) Roadmap.
“Stakeholders are watching closely, wary of reforms that digitize inefficiency instead of eliminating it. But if these roadmaps are delivered faithfully, they could mark a turning point—where businesses no longer see government processes as obstacles, but as enablers of growth,” said Lee.
If implemented faithfully, Lee said, the NSW ITFP will lower transaction costs, improve predictability, and help local enterprises focus on growth rather than bureaucracy. This also calls for technology upgrades, personnel training, and breaking down of old habits.
But, Lee also warned that execution is the tests. In the case of the BIR DX Roadmap, the goal is to change the way taxes are enforced.
For decades, she said, taxpayers dreaded the “Letter of Authority”—a document that could arrive multiple times a year, often leading to harassment and confusion. The new roadmap promises a different approach: audits chosen by data, not discretion. Artificial intelligence will flag risks, ICT systems will be upgraded, and taxpayer portals modernized. By 2028, the BIR envisions a system where compliance is predictable, transparent, and far less prone to abuse.
The BOC’s NSW ITFP (National Single Window – Integrated Trade Facilitation Platform) Roadmap tackles the other side of the coin—trade. She noted that importers and exporters used to shuttle between offices: food importers needed FDA, DA, and Customs clearances; chemical traders had to visit PNP, DENR, and Customs; electronics firms dealt with DTI, BIR, and Customs separately, car firms have to deal with Customs, LTO, DTI, PNP. Companies also need to deal with LGUs for permits and clearances as well.
“Each agency had its own forms, its own queues, its own delays. The NSW ITFP promises to end that fragmentation,” she said.
Based on the Philippines NSW website, forty agencies are involved in the issuance of import/export permits, licenses, and clearances, and these agencies are being integrated into the NSW ITFP. “If connected to a single digital portal, where one submission flows seamlessly across regulators, this will lower transaction costs for businesses, while faster clearance can improve supply chain reliability. This is a herculean task, but one that needs to have been started yesterday, so our country can finally move forward and be at par to a certain extent, with our ASEAN neighbors,” Lee said.
Eventually, we will link to the ASEAN Single Window, allowing Philippine traders to better compete with neighbors like Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam—countries that already run similar platforms.
ASEAN members such as Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam have operated National Single Windows since the 2008–2016 period, connecting to the ASEAN Single Window by 2016 to streamline cross border trade.
Internally, for local businesses, the impact is direct: fewer trips to multiple agencies, faster clearance of goods, and reduced compliance costs. Businesses that once struggled with fragmented permits will gain easier market access, while exporters can compete more effectively in ASEAN supply chains.
“The Philippines is in catch up mode and its success will depend on execution,” she said.
