TC sets public hearing on cement safeguard duty

MANILA, Philippines — The Tariff Commission (TC) is set to hold a public hearing later this month to determine if a definitive safeguard duty should be imposed on cement imports.

In a notice, the TC said the public hearing would start on June 16 and continue until June 20, via video conferencing.

The hearing is being conducted as part of TC’s formal probe on the merits of imposing a definitive safeguard duty on imports of ordinary portland cement and blended cement from various countries.

“All interested parties are hereby directed to attend the first day of the public hearing,” the TC said.

Should a party intend to raise additional issues during the public hearing apart from product comparability and volume of increased imports, these should be submitted to the TC by June 5.

The TC’s probe is being conducted following a request from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

Last February, the DTI issued an order imposing a provisional safeguard duty in the form of cash amounting to P400 per metric ton of cement, to be in place for 200 days from the date of issuance of the Bureau of Customs’ order or circular.

A provisional safeguard measure was imposed by the DTI after the agency found a causal link between increased cement imports and serious injury to the local industry.

In October last year, the DTI announced that it is initiating a preliminary investigation to find out if increased cement imports are hurting the domestic industry and if there is a need to impose safeguard measures.

The DTI’s probe covered cement imported into the country from 2019 to June 2024.

Through Republic 8800 or the Safeguard Measures Act, the government may impose a safeguard measure through increased tariff on imports to provide relief to the domestic industry when there is serious threat or injury caused by a surge in imports of like products.

Under this law, the DTI secretary may launch a preliminary safeguard investigation, if there is evidence that increased imports are threatening to bring serious injury to the local industry.