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Reporter THE LEGAL representatives of industry groups affected by safeguard duties on car imports are questioning the validity of the petition for the protection measure filed by a labor group. The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) applied safeguard duties after it confirmed the Philippine Metalworkers Alliance’s (PMA) claim that employment in the industry sank after imports spiked. The Safeguard Measures Act or Republic Act No. 8800 allows domestic producers to ask the government to conduct an investigation into their import competitors if they claim to have been injured by excessive imports. “PMA is a national union of automotive, iron, and steel workers in electronics and electrical sectors. They do not represent the domestic industry,” Rodolf C. Britanico, the legal representative of the China Chamber of Commerce for Imports and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products, said at a conference with the Tariff Commission on Wednesday. ....
BusinessWorld February 11, 2021 | 8:03 pm THE steel industry does not expect to apply for new safeguard duties following the expiry of the last round of duties in 2019, after concluding that manufacturers have since recovered. Industry representatives at a public hearing with the Tariff Commission on Thursday said that steelmaker Lunar Steel Corp. moved from loss to profit. The industry had doubled to 21 licensed local players from the previous 10 after the decade-long protection. “There will be no need for an extension of the safeguard or a reapplication considering that imports are down and continues to be down during this period of pandemic,” Jose Salvador Rivera, Jr., the legal counsel of the petitioner, said after citing discussions with industry leaders. ....
Reporter The pandemic has delayed the plans of domestic cement companies to improve operations as part of their measures to compete with imports while safeguard duties are being applied. In a public hearing held by the Tariff Commission on Friday, Cemex Holdings Philippines Enterprise Risk Manager Jose Mauro Gallardo Valdes said two out of six projects have been delayed and will be completed in 2021. “The delays are related to the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said. The trade department last year imposed safeguard duties on imported cement for three years to prevent injury to domestic producers. As these safeguard measures are applied, the domestic industry is required to submit to the government their plans to adjust to import competition. ....