Philippine safeguard duty on cement imports to protect local producers: industry group

The Philippines' three-year safeguard duty on imported cement will support fair competition and stability in the domestic cement sector, the Cement Manufacturers Association of the Philippines, an industry group known as CeMAP, told Platts Feb. 24.

The Bureau of Customs issued Feb. 18 a memorandum circular implementing a safeguard duty of Peso 14/40-kg bag, or Peso 349/metric ton ($6.05/mt), on imports of ordinary Portland cement type 1 and blended cement.

The memorandum circular follows an administrative order from the Department of Trade and Industry released in October 2025.

"These measures are vital in addressing the surge of imported cement that has caused serious injury to the domestic cement industry," CeMAP said in a statement.

"By restoring fair competition, the safeguard duties will help ensure the continued viability of local cement manufacturers, protect thousands of Filipino jobs, and sustain investments in environmentally responsible and energy-efficient production," CeMAP added.

The Philippines ranked as the world's fifth-largest Portland cement importer in 2024, and shipments mostly came from Vietnam, Japan, Indonesia, China and Thailand, based on data from the World Bank's World Integrated Trade Solution platform.

Platts assessed cement (ASTM type I) FOB Vietnam at $38.50/mt on Feb. 19, up 50 cents from the previous week. Cement clinker FOB Vietnam was assessed at $34/mt on Feb. 19, unchanged from the previous week.