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The Bureau of Customs is set to implement the safeguard duty for imported cement from various countries
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The required BOC notice has been issued in line with a Department of Trade and Industry order in late 2025 that mandates a three-year definitive safeguard measure on importations of ordinary Portland cement Type I and blended cement
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In the first year, the safeguard duty is set at P14 per 40-kilogram or P349 per metric ton
The Bureau of Customs (BOC) is set to implement the safeguard duty for imported cement from various countries following the recent issuance of the required notices.
The safeguard duty is pursuant to Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Administrative Order (DAO) No. 15-2025, which mandates the three-year definitive safeguard measure on importations of ordinary Portland cement Type I (Association of Southeast Asian Nations Harmonized Tariff Nomenclature or AHTN 2022 Subheading No. 2523.29.90) and blended cement (AHTN 2022 Subheading No. 2523.90.00), originating from various countries.
READ: DTI to impose safeguard duty on imported cement for 3 years
For the first year of implementation, the safeguard duty is set at P14 per 40-kilogram (kg) or P349 per metric ton (mt), according to BOC Customs Memorandum Circular No. 42-2026, which was issued to implement DAO 15-2025.
Under the DAO, imports originating from developing countries listed in its Annex A with de minimis import volume will not be subject to the definitive general safeguard measure.
Exports of new exporting countries, except the developing countries covered by the de minimis rule, will automatically be levied with the definitive safeguard duty.
Moreover, importers of ordinary Portland cement type I and blended cement originating from a country that is exempt from the safeguard duty should submit a Certificate of Country of Origin issued by the authorized agency/office in the source country of manufacture, subject to affixation of “Apostille” to the document or authenticated by the Philippine Embassy/Consulate General, as applicable.
DTI earlier said the measure is intended to level the playing field between domestic manufacturers and importers and is not expected to be passed on to consumers, as the safeguard duty applies solely to imported cement.
The imposition of the safeguard duty will be subject to monitoring and review to ensure prices remain stable and supply stays sufficient to cover demand at any given time.
DTI said the Tariff Commission’s (TC) recommended safeguard duty rate represents only around 3-4% of prevailing retail prices.
DTI likewise clarified that the excess cash bond paid by importers or the difference between the provisional and final duty assessed will be refunded once the corresponding DTI department order is issued.
Prior to TC’s recommendation, DTI was already imposing a provisional safeguard measure on imports of cement from various countries after its initial investigation found increased imports caused substantial injury to the domestic industry.
READ: DTI approves provisional safeguard measure on cement imports
BOC last year also implemented the provisional safeguard measure in the form of a cash bond amounting to P400 per mt or P16 per 40 kg bag on ordinary Portland cement and blended cement, pursuant to DTI DAO No. 25-01, which approved the imposition of provisional safeguard measure.
This was pursuant to Republic Act No. 8800, or the Safeguards Measures Act, which authorizes the imposition of such measure “in critical circumstances where a delay would cause damage which would be difficult to repair, and pursuant to a preliminary determination that increased imports are the substantial cause of injury to the domestic industry.”—Roumina Pablo
