The Philippine Trade Department is again trying to get the Presidential Palace to eliminate tariffs on imported wheat and cement while Congress is in recess in a bid to lower product prices, a ranking official said.

Flour millers have had to pay a 3-5% levy on wheat starting Aug. 26 after Executive Order 863, which temporarily brought down this tariff to zero, lapsed. Cement tariffs likewise reverted to 3-5% after EO 862 expired.

Some local cement prices, meanwhile, have increased by 2.6% to P195 per 40-kilo bag (approx US$112/tonne) last week over the previous week, the department’s latest monitoring report showed.