Sara Duterte: Marcos economic team should've prepared for Trump tariff

Vice President Sara Duterte said the economic team of the Marcos administration should have prepared for US President Donald Trump's imposition of a higher 20% tariff rate on Philippine goods exported to America as the move was already "expected."

"Well, dapat 'yan unang-una, expected na darating na 'yan, 'di ba? Kasi pag-upo pa lang ni President Trump, ay nagsabi na siya na isa 'yan sa mga priority niya na gagawin," Duterte said in an interview in The Hague, Netherlands on Tuesday.

(Well, that should have been expected from the very beginning because as soon as President Trump came into office, he already said that it was one of his priorities to implement that.) 

"So, dapat meron nang plano ang ating economic team kung ano ang gagawin doon sa mga i-impose na tariffs sa ating pagnenegosyo sa United States of America," she added.

(So, our economic team must have prepared a plan on what to do with the tariffs that will be imposed on our goods exported to the United States of America.) 

The Vice President also said that a "core team" from that economic team should have been coordinating with their counterparts in the US government.

GMA News Online has requested comment from Malacañang regarding the Duterte's remarks, but it has yet to respond as of posting time.

Special Assistant to the President for Investment and Economic Affairs of the Philippines Frederick Go said last week that the Philippine government was taken aback by Trump's move to slap a higher tariff rate on the country's goods exported to America, despite earlier efforts to haggle for lower duties for products imported from Manila.

"We are in receipt of the United States latest reciprocal tariff for the Philippines. We are concerned that, notwithstanding our efforts and constant engagements, the US still decided to impose a 20% tariff on Philippine exports," Go said.

Nonetheless, he said the Philippines "remains committed to continuing negotiations in good faith to pursue a better and more comprehensive bilateral trade agreement or if possible, an FTA (free trade agreement)."

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. and US President Donald Trump are set to have their first bilateral meeting in Washington next week. 

Details of the summit between the two leaders are still being finalized, according to Foreign Affairs Secretary Theresa Lazaro, but defense and security amid increasing Chinese aggression in the disputed South China Sea, US tariffs, and economic cooperation are likely to figure in their discussions. — VDV, GMA Integrated News