MANILA, Philippines — Cement imports from China and Indonesia will now be imposed with a duty amounting to P349 per metric ton, after shipments exceeded the threshold for exemption from the safeguard measure, according to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
In Department Administrative Order (DAO) 26-03, the DTI said that it is removing China and Indonesia from the list of countries excluded from the safeguard measure on cement imports imposed under DAO 25-15 issued last year.
As such, cement imports from China and Indonesia will be subject to a safeguard duty for the first year amounting to P14 for a 40-kilogram bag or P349 per metric ton.
The removal of the two countries from the excluded list follows the DTI’s monitoring of cement imports in full-year 2025 and the first quarter.
While Vietnam remains the top supplier of cement to the Philippines with a 79 percent share in 2025 and 63 percent in the first quarter, China and Indonesia have seen increases in their respective shares.
In particular, China’s share in the Philippines’ cement imports rose to 11 percent last year and 23 percent in the first quarter.
Indonesia’s share in cement imports also went up to six percent last year and to eight percent in the first quarter.
Under DAO 25-15, cement products from countries with a less than three percent share in total imports of the building material are excluded from the safeguard measure.
The DTI decided to impose the safeguard measure or duty on cement imports last year to mitigate the impact of rising imports on the domestic industry.
For its part, the Cement Manufacturers Association of the Philippines (CeMAP) welcomed the expanded implementation of the safeguard measures.
The group said in a statement that the prior exclusion of China and Indonesia weakened the safeguard mechanism.
CeMAP also said that the expanded coverage “is a long? awaited correction that restores fairness, strengthens local manufacturing and protects Filipino jobs.”
Source: https://www.philstar.com/business/2026/06/03/2532353/safeguard-measure-slapped-china-indonesia-cement
