DTI to issue tariff recommendations on imported newsprints, GI sheets

MANILA, Philippines - With the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) unable to complete its preliminary investigation on petitions to impose safeguard duties on imported newsprints and galvanized iron (GI) sheets in April, the department is now looking to issue its recommendations within the month.

“We are working very hard at completing it at the technical level, even earlier than that (the end of the month),” DTI Bureau of Import Services director Luis Catibayan said in a text message yesterday.

The DTI earlier said it intended to issue the recommendations in April.

The DTI launched its preliminary investigation on imports of newsprint as well as GI and pre-painted GI sheets in September last year following petitions filed by Trust International Paper Co. (TIPCO) and Puyat Steel Corp. seeking to impose safeguard measures on newsprint, GI and PPGI sheets.

In its petition, TIPCO claimed the newsprint imports have increased, causing serious injury to local players.

Locally produced newsprint made mainly from recycled paper, is used for newspapers, books and school pads.

For its part, Puyat Steel said imports of construction materials such as GI and PPGI sheets pose a threat to the local industry with its market share, production sales, capacity utilization, productivity and profitability declining.

To provide relief to domestic industries, a country can impose safeguard measures or higher duties on imported goods.

The safeguard measures can be applied when it is found that there is an increase in imports of a certain commodity and such has hurt the local industry.

Upon the completion of the DTI’s preliminary investigation, the DTI can recommend to forward the cases to the Tariff Commission, which will then conduct formal investigations.