Philippines: The Cement Manufacturers’ Association of the Philippines (CeMAP) has welcomed the government’s move to impose a temporary safeguard duty of US$6.00/t on two kinds of imported cement as a measure to strengthen the local industry. In a statement on 16 October 2025 CeMAP said it ‘respects the decision’ of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to adopt the recommended measures of the Tariff Commission (TC). CeMAP had hoped that the duty, which will apply for three years, would have been higher.
The DTI earlier found a causal link between the increased imports of cement products and the serious injury to the domestic industry. This was later confirmed by the TC. In its report to the DTI, the TC said the safeguard duty is the difference between the weighted average store price of imported cement and the weighted average selling price of locally-made cement during 2024.
