Published by
Philippine Star
Philippine Star
To appreciate all the hoopla about retail trade liberalization in the Philippines and the recent passage of a law amending the Retail Trade Liberalization Act of 2000 (RTLA), one has to go back to the mother law, i.e., the Retail Trade Nationalization Act of 1954 (RTNA). Not many can or will remember that before the RTNA was passed, nationalist fervor was an all-time high against what was perceived as the domination of Chinese interests in retailing. Groceries, hardware stores, and many businesses that dealt with the distribution and sale of consumer goods then were feared by nationalist Filip…
