Moving aggressively toward a fully digital and integrated trade ecosystem, the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA), in partnership with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), the Department of Finance (DOF), and private partner TradeX Network, Inc., officially launched the Phase 1 Onboarding Orientation and System Demonstration for five key Trade Regulatory Government Agencies (TRGAs).
The orientation, held at the DICT Headquarters in Quezon City, marks a critical milestone for the National Single Window – Integrated Trade Facilitation Platform (NSW-ITFP). The platform provides traders with a single-entry point to submit all required trade-related information and documents. By eliminating redundant submissions and boosting inter-agency coordination, the system aims to slash transaction times and drastically reduce the cost of doing business in the country.
The five agencies participating in this initial onboarding phase include:
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Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI)
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Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR)
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Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ)
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Philippine National Police–Firearms and Explosives Office (PNP-FEO)
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Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA)
A central theme of the launch was ensuring that government inefficiencies are solved rather than just automated. In her opening remarks, ARTA Undersecretary Lea Grace G. Salcedo emphasized that technology must follow process improvement.
“Before we digitize government services, we must first ensure that existing processes are simplified, harmonized, and streamlined,” Salcedo stated. “Through the National Single Window, we are not only introducing a digital platform but also advancing meaningful regulatory reforms that make government services more efficient and responsive.”
In line with its mandate under Republic Act No. 11032 (the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018), ARTA will actively guide the participating agencies through a comprehensive review of their procedures before they integrate fully into the NSW-ITFP.
The launch featured extensive presentations by DICT officials on the broader architecture of the Philippine National Single Window, paired with a live system demonstration by TradeX Network, Inc. The interactive layout of the session allowed agency representatives to directly align their operational workflows with the new digital platform.
Closing the event, DOF Assistant Secretary Angelica I. Sarmiento reaffirmed the administration’s focus on inter-agency synergy, noting that the successful rollout of the National Single Window is foundational to the Bagong Pilipinas (New Philippines) vision of a transparent, highly competitive, and friction-free trading environment.
