The Federation of Philippine Industries (FPI) is calling on the government to overhaul its trade remedy system, arguing that the current pace of regulatory relief is failing to protect local manufacturers from a surge of cheap imports.

In response to questions from Manila Bulletin, FPI Chairperson Elizabeth Lee said the country requires a mechanism that “works at the speed of market injury” to prevent irreversible damage to the domestic industrial base.

“A fast, credible, and predictable trade remedy action is needed, more than ever, to prevent plants from scaling down, workers being laid off, and investments being postponed or canceled due to serious and sometimes irreversible damage,” said Lee.

“Trade remedies must function as early-warning and rapid-response instruments that stabilize industries during periods of import surges and unfair trade,” she added.

This call is in response to an anticipated increase in trade remedy cases this year as local manufacturers seek relief from the sustained surge in imports, as indicated by the Bureau of Import Services (BIS) of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

Lee noted that when imports are dumped in disproportionate volumes, the competitiveness of local producers is at risk.

“Trade remedies are not only lawful—they are essential to safeguard industrial viability,” she said.

For FPI, Lee said the most urgent safeguards being sought by local industries must be anchored in fair competition, evidence-based intervention, and timely policy action.

She recalled that the DTI earlier imposed definitive safeguard duties on cement imports after the Tariff Commission (TC) found that surging imports were causing injury to the cement industry.

Under Department Administrative Order (DAO) No. 25-15, the DTI set a duty of ₱14 per bag or ₱349 per metric ton, covering OPC Type 1 under AHTN 2022 Subheading 2523.29.90 and blended cement under AHTN 2022 Subheading 2523.90.00. This duty applies to the first year of a three-year imposition.

“Cement is a strategic input to the government’s infrastructure program, and continued import dependence increases exposure to global price shocks and supply disruptions,” said Lee.

Lee said similar trade remedies are being requested by the food manufacturing and steel industries, which are facing competitive pressures due to rising imports.

Still, she stressed that the country needs a more robust trade remedy system to ensure that measures to protect industries are “deployed judiciously and effectively.”

“If the Philippines is serious about rebuilding its industrial base, trade defense instruments must be treated as core economic infrastructure, not as exceptional or temporary measures,” said Lee.