Only 53 per cent of cement production capacity in the Philippines is currently in use, a public hearing of the country’s Tariff Commission was told yesterday.
Reinier Dizon, president of the Cement Manufacturers of the Philippines, said that while the situation was not unique to the country, he was keen to highlight he importance of taking initiative domestically by maximising the country's own capacity to improve the situation.
In late February, the Philippines’ Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) imposed provisional safeguard measures on two types of imported cement, requiring importers to pay a cash bond of PHP400/t (US$7.06) for 200 days.
It followed an investigation into imported cement covering the period from 2019 to June 2024 that concluded the rise in imports caused serious injury to the local industry, leading to its significant decline.
However, more than 190 foreign sources and countries were exempted from posting the cash bond. Vietnam, which accounts for approximately 93 per cent of the country's cement imports, and Indonesia, which holds a five percent share were not included in the exemption list.
