Marcos rallies nations vs weapons of mass destruction

MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos called on nations yesterday to strengthen collaboration in controlling the export of strategic goods or items that can have both civilian and military applications, to ensure these do not become weapons of mass destruction.

Speaking at the Philippine Strategic Trade Management Summit in Taguig City, Marcos said emerging technologies – both in civilian and military fields – pose challenges in trade management.

“The rapid pace of advancement demands us to be more agile, more responsible and it requires us to address both the speed and dual-use nature of these new technologies,” Marcos said.

“This summit is not merely about managing trade; it is also about mitigating risks, promoting stability and confidence in our regulatory regimes and ensuring that the tools of our progress do not become weapons of our destruction,” he said.

The summit is an annual export control forum focusing on regulatory updates and best practices for the implementation of strategic trade management (STM) systems.

It also serves as a platform to discuss counter-proliferation challenges, such as emerging technology, intangible technology transfer, transit and transshipment and sanctions.

Around 300 delegates from various local and international organizations attended the forum at Shangri-La The Fort in Taguig City.

Among those who attended the summit were Trade Secretary Ma. Cristina Aldeguer-Roque, Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo and US Ambassador MaryKay Carlson. 

Apart from representatives from member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, this year’s STM summit was also attended by partners from the US, Japan, Europe and Africa, Marcos said.

“This demonstrates our faith in the power of collaboration to improve and secure our global supply chains as well as to open our doors for trade to flourish, for wealth to grow and for people to prosper,” he said.

The Philippines, Marcos said, has launched a strategic investment plan focused on developing key industries.

“We have developed policies that require individuals and entities engaging in STM-covered activities to register and to receive authorization to deliver their services,”