11 December 2013 - Engr. Daniel A. Reyes, Officer-in-Charge of the Shipyard Regulations Office at the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) was one of the speakers at the workshop on “Global Value Chains (GVC) in Shipbuilding” hosted by the Council Working Party on Shipbuilding (WP6) last November 27 at the Headquarters of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris, France.

At the opening of the session, Ambassador Tore Eriksen, Permanent Representative of Norway to the OECD and the President of the WP6, thanked the Philippines for participating despite the recent calamity and expressed sympathy for the victims of typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan).  Other speakers also expressed their sympathies.

Engineer Reyes in turn thanked the President and the other speakers for their expressions of sympathy and solidarity.

In his presentation about the Philippine Shipbuilding Industry, Engineer Reyes highlighted government policies and incentives, notably Presidential Decree 666 and Republic Act 9295 which allow 100% foreign equity in shipbuilding. He highlighted that the Philippines was an emerging shipbuilding nation with the capability to build more ships of bigger tonnage capacities like bulk carriers, containers and tankers. He mentioned that big foreign companies were already present in the Philippines. He also elaborated on possible areas in the Philippines suitable to host shipyards, such as Mindoro Occidental, Phividec Industrial Estate in Misamis Oriental and Port Irene in Cagayan Valley.

Also part of the Philippine delegation were Mr. Reynaldo Lignes from the Sectoral Studies Division of the Manufacturing Industries Department of the Board of Investments, Philippine Commercial Attaché to France Mr. Vichael Roaring, and Ms. Mernie Olaño of the Philippine Embassy in Paris, France.

The OECD’s Council Working Party on Shipbuilding (WP6) is an international forum that brings together government representatives, as well as industry and union interests, to exchange views and conduct economic and policy analysis on all aspects of the shipbuilding sector. The GVC workshop was attended by representatives of OECD and partner governments, industry associations, shipbuilding and marine equipment firms and union representatives, among others. END