The government of the Philippines circulated a statement (INF/ECOM/50) among members of World Trade Organization (WTO) announcing its decision to join the ongoing plurilateral negotiations on e-commerce taking place at the WTO, known as the Join Statement Initiative (JSI). According to the statement, the country expects that that negotiations will provide guidelines and rules that will help members, especially of developing and least developed countries, to better harness the benefits of the digital economy. The Philippine's decision brings the total membership of the JSI to 83 countries.