INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT AND INVESTMENT PROMOTIONS GROUP
The Industry Development and Investment Promotions Group (IPG) is headed by Undersecretary Ceferino S. Rodolfo. Within the IPG is the Bureau of Import Services (BIS), Export Marketing Bureau (EMB), and Foreign Trade Service Corps (FTSC).
Under IPG are the following attached agencies: Board of Investments (BOI), National Development Company (NDC), and Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA).
The DTI Offices and the respective Officials under IPG:
Alma F. Argayoso
Assistant Secretary
Foreign Trade Service Corps
Maria Guiza B. Lim
Director
Bureau of Import Services
Bianca Pearl R. Sykimte
Director
Export Marketing Bureau
Armando Q. Mercado, Jr.
Assistant Director
Bureau of Import Services
Maria Katrina D. Rivera
Assistant Director
Export Marketing Bureau
Acts as the executive and technical agency of the national government for the establishment of the management systems for the trade in strategic goods, services and technologies to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. STMO will implement strategies, policies and guidelines of NSC-STMCom; establish and maintain a database on strategic goods and on persons engaged in strategic goods trade; issues authorizations or deny applications for authorizations; and undertake enforcement of provisions of the STMA, coordinate with industry, other government agencies and the public.
Export Marketing Bureau (EMB)
The Department of Trade and Industry – Export Marketing Bureau (DTI-EMB) is mandated to oversee the development, promotion, and monitoring of Philippine exports. The DTI-EMB provides exporters with the enabling environment to make them globally competitive.
In accordance with the Executive Order No. 540, the FTSC works to advance the country’s trade and investment interests by providing credible information and nurturing relations among foreign and local investors and businesses by bringing down the physical and cultural borders of doing business across countries. FTSCCO facilitates in a wide support network of consulate offices, trade associations, special interest councils, and our government partners in the Philippines and various trading partners worldwide.”
Bianca Pearl R. Sykimte is the Director of the Department of Trade and Industry – Export Marketing Bureau (DTI-EMB) and concurrently the Executive Director of the Export Development Council (EDC). She leads the development and implementation of Philippine export strategies, providing support programs and services to exporters.
Previously, Ms. Sykimte managed industry development initiatives at the Board of Investments (BOI), focusing on policy analysis, industry promotion, and capacity building. Earlier in her career, at the DTI-Bureau of International Trade Relations, she was instrumental in securing the Philippines’ inclusion in the EU GSP+ and the signing of the Philippines-EFTA Free Trade Agreement.
Prior to government service, Ms. Sykimte has experience in market research, having worked as an Associate Market Analyst at IDC Philippines. She authored and co-authored studies on Philippine SME IT adoption and the hardcopy peripherals industry. Ms. Sykimte holds a Master’s degree in Applied Business Economics from the University of Asia & the Pacific and a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce major in Economics from the University of Santo Tomas.
Atty. Maria Katrina D. Rivera is the Assistant Director of the Department of Trade and Industry – Export Marketing Bureau (DTI-EMB), bringing with her extensive experience in policy , international trade law, international relations, and intellectual property.
Before joining the DTI-EMB this January, Atty. Rivera served as the Division Chief of the Policy Research and International Affairs Division of the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL). In this role, she led the Office’s international engagements at multilateral, regional, and bilateral levels, playing a key role in free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations and shaping IPOPHL’s stance on legislative measures affecting the country’s intellectual property framework.
Prior to her tenure at IPOPHL, she was the Assistant Division Chief of the International Relations Division at the DTI-Board of Investments, where she gained extensive experience in policy development and international trade relations. Her work contributed to strengthening the Philippines’ trade and investment landscape through strategic international engagements and initiatives.
Atty. Rivera holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from the Arellano University School of Law and a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of the Philippines Manila. In 2022, she earned a Master’s degree in Intellectual Property and New Technologies from Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Poland, expanding her knowledge of trade and intellectual property.