DTI eases cement duty on 175 countries

The Department of Trade and Industry said it exempted 175 countries from definitive duties imposed on imported cement after a recent review showed that imports from these countries contributed only 3 percent or less to total imports in 2020.

The DTI’s Bureau of Import Services conducted a review of the status of certain countries/economies considered as “developing” and noted that a few of them were considered high-income economies based on World Bank data.

“Some of these countries score very high in the human development index, and are members of the OECD [Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development], which is an organization comprised mainly of high-income developed countries/economies,” said BIS director Luis M. Catibayan.

The exemption of the 175 countries was contained in the amendments to the DTI Department Order No. 19-13, under Annex A, that effectively imposed safeguard duties on imported cement.