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Onboarding of trade regulatory government agencies into the new Philippine national single window is scheduled to start in August 2026 and be completed by 2028
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Onboarding will be in four structured phases and deliberate sequence based on trade volume, criticality, and technical preparedness of the agency
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TradeX will employ the technology that was developed by CrimsonLogic, which was the first in the world to implement an NSW for Singapore in 1988
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IT fees will be collected, which will be P35 for manifest submission and P70 for application for import/export permit and declaration
Onboarding of trade regulatory government agencies (TRGAs) into the new Philippine national single window (NSW) is scheduled to start in August 2026 and be completed by 2028, according to an official of the Department of Finance (DOF).
Onboarding of more than 70 TRGAs into the NSW-Integrated Trade Facilitation Platform (NSW-ITFP) will be in structured phases and deliberate sequence based on trade volume, criticality, and technical preparedness of the agency, DOF assistant secretary Angelica Sarmiento said in a speech during a stakeholders consultation on the new platform on May 21.
The NSW-ITFP is a unified platform that will serve as a one-stop-shop for the submission and processing of trade-related documents and permits across various government agencies.
For the first phase, TRGAs that are mostly focused on the agricultural sector will be the first batch to onboard starting August. This is also to satisfy the requirements under Republic Act No. 12022 or the Anti-Agricultural Sabotage Act, Sarmiento noted.
The second phase will also start in 2026 until 2027 and involves 17 TRGAs that are critical industrial and public safety agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration and Strategic Trade Management Office. With the completion of phase two, “the vast majority of day-to-day high volume consumer imports will be fully digitalized”, Sarmiento said.
Phase three is scheduled for mid-2027 and will include 22 TRGAs, such as, among others, the Bureau of Import Services, Dangerous Drugs Board, and airport and transport authorities.
The fourth phase from 2027 to 2028 involves 12 TRGAs that are mostly investment promotions agencies.
Ascent Solutions project manager Sherwin Santos, during the same consultation, said they are working with the project’s government leads, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and DOF, for the onboarding process.
READ: Inter-agency committee checks on National Single Window progress
Recently, the Anti-Red Tape Authority has also been tapped to help with the planning stage.
Once operational, the DICT earlier said the NSW-ITFP is envisioned to streamline import, export, and transit documentation through a unified submission system, replacing fragmented manual processes.
The NSW-ITFP will replace TradeNet, which currently serves as the country’s NSW. The NSW is the platform required to connect to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Single Window (ASW), a regional initiative to speed up cargo clearance and promote regional economic integration by enabling the electronic exchange of border documents among the ASEAN member states.
The joint venture of JAMC Holdings Corp. and Ascent Solutions Philippines Inc. submitted in February 2024 an unsolicited proposal for the NSW-ITFP and was awarded the contract for the project on November 21, 2025 after no comparative proposals were received until the November 13, 2025 deadline.
In December 2025, DICT and the joint venture, now called TradeX Network, Inc., signed the contract for the development and operation of NSW-ITFP.
Construction phase
Santos, in a presentation during the consultation, said they are currently in the construction phase, which is four months. Based on the contract, the project will run for 12 years, including the construction period, with an investment cost of P393.8 million.
Santos noted that stakeholders incur direct and indirect costs, including travel, time, administrative, and compliance-related costs, when applying with multiple agencies for various permits and licenses.
READ: National Single Window among reforms to drive sustainable development
With the NSW, such costs will be reduced while improving speed, transparency, and compliance.
To help and make sure “that we become successful in the implementation of the NSW,” Santos said they will employ the technology that was developed by Singapore-based global technology company CrimsonLogic, which was the first in the world to implement an NSW for Singapore in 1988.
Santos said the team of TradeX will help configure the system of CrimsonLogic “to make it applicable to Philippine setting” and ensure that the system is compliant with global standards.
The system is divided into two parts: the front end, and the back end. The front end called TradeX.net is where traders, importers, freight forwarders, and customs brokers will apply and submit their applications.
The backend is called the TFP where the Bureau of Customs and the other TRGAs will verify and approve these applications.
Fees
With the project funded by the contractor and at no cost to the government, IT fees will be collected for the use of the system:
- Application of import and export permits to TRGAs– P70
- Manifest application – P35
- Application of import/export declaration – P70
Santos clarified that the IT fee for the use of the NSW is separate from the processing fees collected by government agencies, but there are plans to include payment for government processing fees in the system.
While the NSW aims to make transactions paperless, Santos noted there are still policies by the government that require hard copies for audit purposes.
Moreover, submission of manifest will still be with the value-added service providers (VASPs) as they are still covered by BOC issuances.
“The decision as regards to the future of the value-added service providers will be a decision that needs to be made by the Bureau of Customs,” Santos said.
But the NSW will have a facility that can accept bills of lading and manifest without the VASPs, Ascent Solutions director Danilo Bungubung said.— Roumina Pablo
