By Benjamin Cuaresma
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines and Canada have overcome major sticking points in negotiations for a landmark free trade agreement, leaving only a handful of issues to settle before the two countries seek to seal the deal by year-end.
Trade Undersecretary Allan Gepty said the fourth and final full negotiating round in Toronto from Sept. 8 to 11 produced substantial progress, with both sides now expected to resolve the remaining issues through smaller meetings and online discussions.
“We’re almost close,” Gepty told reporters.
No further full negotiating round is currently planned.
The latest talks focused on proposed agreement texts and market access, with agricultural products emerging once again as one of the more difficult areas because of their sensitivity.
Gepty said such differences were not unusual, pointing to similar challenges encountered in previous Philippine free trade negotiations with the European Union and Chile.
“It’s very common in the market access, especially when you talk about sensitive products like agricultural products. That is quite understandable,” he said.
The negotiations are expected to receive another push as Canadian International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu visits Manila from Sept. 21 to 22 for consultations between economic ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and Canada.
Sidhu is also expected to discuss the separate Canada-Asean FTA negotiations during his Manila visit.
Before coming to the Philippines, Sidhu is set to travel to Mumbai to advance Canada’s negotiations for a comprehensive economic partnership agreement with India.
“India, Asean, and the Philippines are among the fastest-growing economies in the world. I will be meeting with government and business leaders to strengthen our trade relationships and attract new investment to Canada,” Sidhu said.
“We already have preferential access to a market of 1.5 billion consumers, and by concluding agreements with these partners, we will double that reach to 3 billion,” he added.
The Philippines-Canada FTA negotiations began in February, covering market access for goods and services, business mobility, investment, intellectual property and legal provisions, including anti-corruption measures.
Canada ranked as the Philippines’ 18th-largest export market in 2025, receiving $1.31 billion worth of Philippine goods, or 1.5 percent of the country’s total exports.
Bilateral trade reached $2.15 billion during the year, making Canada the Philippines’ 16th-largest trading partner.
If completed, the agreement would mark the Philippines’ first bilateral free trade agreement with a North American country.
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