Ms. Minnie Ventura advises clients on international trade issues, including trade, customs, and other regulatory requirements, and investment rules with particular focus on the Philippine environment. She assists clients to identify and analyze various options for locating manufacturing/business activities in the Philippines, including opportunities for investment incentives. She works with clients to ensure compliance with investment and trade regulations and policies enforced by relevant government agencies to enable them to enjoy incentive privileges and avoid penalties for non-compliance. Ms. Ventura assists clients in engaging the relevant government authorities on specific issues, such as customs valuation rulings, incentives, review of government regulation to be consistent with World Trade organization (“WTO”) rules.

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• Identified the investment (foreign investment restrictions, incentives, direct tax, double tax treaties, transfer pricing, Advance Pricing Agreement, etc.), customs (import procedures, import duties, excise tax, drawback, valuation, etc.), and other regulatory conditions (health and safety requirements, consumption/sale restrictions, advertising restrictions, etc.) for a major European liquor manufacturer.

• Identified and assessed the key considerations for a major U.S. steel manufacturer in setting up its drafting/design services enterprise in the Philippines particularly with regard to investment incentive opportunities.

• Identified and analyzed the detailed import procedure for a major Southeast Asian alcoholic beverages manufacturer in support of the company’s operational review and strategic planning in ASEAN.

• Assists various MNCs operating in the Philippines to achieve cost savings through benefits obtained under existing regional preferential trading and investment schemes, such as the ASEAN Common Effective Preferential Tariff (“CEPT”) Scheme, the ASEAN Industrial Cooperation (“AICO”) Schemes, ASEAN Industrial Joint Venture and the ASEAN Investment Area (“AIA”). 

• Provided timely intelligence on and analysis of developments in the areas of investment, trade, customs and free trade agreements in the Philippines specifically relevant to the automotive, tobacco, electronics and machinery industries.

• Created a PEZA-Customs import/export procedural manual for a major U.S. automated test equipment manufacturer.

• Assisted a major U.S. automated test equipment manufacturer in getting a customs valuation ruling; certificate of importers accreditation from the Bureau of Customs; import clearance from relevant government agencies;

• Assisted a major U.S. breakfast cereal manufacturer in the application for duty refunds.

• Assisted in the valuation review of imported cigarettes into the ASEAN region.

• Assisted a world's leading supplier of semiconductor assembly equipment, tools and materials in the application for Customs Bonded Trading Warehouse.

• Involved in the various forums on Customs valuation issues affecting importers and manufacturers in the Philippines.

• Assisted in creating a database of preferential tariffs under free trade agreements (“FTAs”) involving certain countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

• Created a tariff database for the electronics industry involving certain countries in the ASEAN region.

• Analyzed WTO compliance issues involving Philippine rules affecting the automotive, tobacco and liquor industries and devising WTO-consistent alternative policy schemes and incentive programs.

• Assisted in advising the Philippine Government in formulating and packaging the program for the automotive industry which is consistent with the WTO Agreement.

• Was previously a Specialist with the Philippine Board of Investments (“BOI”), evaluating projects registering for incentives.

• Served with the Bureau of Import Services as Technical Assistant to the Director handling the monitoring of issues related to economic crimes.

• Was Assistant Division Chief of the Department of Trade and Industry - Office of Policy Research, handling Trade and Industry policy matters, including tariff matters, investment laws, ASEAN and WTO matters.

• Researched and analyzed national trade policies and assisted with formulating national positions for the Philippine government on trade and investment legislation.

• B.Sc. (Management and Industrial Engineering), Mapua Institute of Technology, Philippines

• Masters in Development Economics, University of the Philippines

• English, Tagalog.