Philippine cement manufacturers have asked the government to protect them against technical smuggling, following the Trade department’s decision last March 14 not to extend the duty on imported Gray Portland cement, Cement Manufacturers Association of the Philippines (CeMAP) President Ernesto M. Ordonez said in a recent interview.
The Trade department based its decision on a Supreme Court ruling on October 5 last year that denied with finality the motion for reconsideration of CeMAP, formerly Philippine Cement Manufacturers’ Corp. (Philcemcor) nullifying the duty. The Trade department imposed on Nov. 7, 2001 a duty of P20.60 per 40-kg bag of imported Gray Portland cement in response to a request from Philcemcor. Prices of imported cement range from P40 to P50 per bag, compared to P90 per bag for local cement.
