Philcemcor gets more time in anti-dumping case

The Department of Trade and Industry-Bureau of Import Services (DTI-BIS) has given the Philippine Cement Manufacturers Corp. (Philcemcor) another 30 days to submit additional documents that will support its anti-dumping case against Taiwan Cement Corp.

In a letter to BIS Director Alexander Arcilla, Philcemcor appealed for an extension of the deadline because of the voluminous data required and the numerous cement companies involved.

Philcemcor had been given up to today to submit documents that will support its amended petition against Taiwan Cement.

Government should have rendered a decision last Sept. 22 on the original anti-dumping suit filed on March 2 last year.

Philcemcor, an umbrella organization of 19 local cement manufacturers, in September last year decided to amend its anti-dumping suit against Taiwan Cement to include cement importations in the first semester of 2000. Its original complaint filed on March 2 last year covered only import figures for 1999.

Philcemcor claimed that its members lost P15 billion in potential revenues because of declining market share brought about by unfair competition from imported cement.

Philcemcor claimed that cement imports from Taiwan had increased dramatically by 1,700 percent to 472,000 metric tons in the first half of 2000, from only 27,800 metric tons in the first half of 1999.