IPINAG-UTOS ng Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) ang pagpapataw ng definitive safeguard duty sa semento sa loob ng tatlong taon upang maprotektahan ang domestic industry mula sa masamang epekto ng pagtaas ng imports.
Sa isang statement, sinabi ni Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez na nagpasiya silang magpataw ng definitive safeguard duty na P250 per metric ton (MT) o P10 per 40-kilogram (kg) bag sa unang taon ng implementasyon upang mahikayat at hamunin ang local cement industries na maging globally competitive.
Ang kautusan ay magiging epektibo matapos na maipalabas ang kaukulang Customs Memorandum o 15 araw makaraang malathala ito sa dalawang pahayagan na may general circulation ngayong taon.
Ani Lopez, ang halaga ng safeguard duty ay bababa sa P9 per 40-kg bag sa ikalawang taon at P8 sa ikatlong taon, alinsunod sa Section 18 ng Republic Act 8800, o mas kilala bilang Safeguard Measures Act.
Aniya, magsasagawa sila ng yearly review upang malaman ang kaangkupan ng safeguard duty.
“Basically, the rationale for the safeguard level is to balance national interest, minimizing the impact to prices for buyers and users while addressing the industry injury issue, and yet still encouraging local manufacturers to continuously pursue efficiencies to be more globally competitive,” anang kalihim.
“While the DTI is mandated to protect the consumers, there is a need to take into account other sectors, such as investors and industry which provide employment to Filipinos.
“There is also a need to moderate imports to balance trade. If local manufacturers can adequately supply domestic requirements, they need to be provided a level playing field to enable them to compete with imports. This will allow expansion of the country’s manufacturing base and generate more jobs for Filipinos,” dagdag ni Lopez.
Tiniyak din ng Trade chief na ang pagpapataw ng safeguard measure ay hindi inaasahang magdudulot ng shortage ng semento sa domestic market dahil ang mga cement manufacturer ay may sapat na kakayahan para matugunan ang domestic demand.
Naunang inirekomenda ng Tariff Commission ang pagpapataw ng definitive general safeguard measure na P297 per MT o P12 per 40-kg bag sa imported cement. PNA
Comments are closed.