MANILA, Philippines?The Steel Angles, Shapes and Section Manufacturers Association of the Philippines (Sassmapi) wants the safeguard duty on steel angle bars set at P14,000 per ton.
The amount is almost double the P7,700 per ton safeguard duty recommended by the Cabinet-level Tariff Commission.
Sassmapi spokesperson Alejo Tatel said the group would not make additional comments on the recommendation until its own review of the computations made by the technical experts at the Tariff Commission was completed.
?We appreciate the positive recommendation and the concern of the Tariff Commission, but we want to review first the computation because we were originally asking for a P14,000-per-ton safeguard duty,? he said in a statement.
He said the Tariff Commission?s computations were supposed to be based on the average difference between the landed price of imported steel angles and the production costs of local producers over the last four years.
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has 15 days to act on the Tariff Commission?s recommendations.
In making its decision, Federation of Philippine Industries president Jesus Arranza urged the DTI to consider other developments in the market, particularly in China.
He was particularly referring to the Chinese government?s 17-percent rebate program for steel exporters.
This huge subsidy for Chinese steel manufacturers, he said, posed a huge threat to domestic producers as Chinese steel imports would end up being even a lot cheaper than they already were.
?The local industry feels that this is another handwriting on the wall that there would be cases of dumping in the near future because of the depressed market. We should be ready by now so we will not be caught flat-footed and then just come up with our delayed remedies when the surge has already happened,? he said.
?We are hoping that (Trade Secretary Peter Favila) will take into consideration the 17-percent rebate program of China, which we believe will eventually include steel angle bars in the near future,? he added, ahead of a meeting that the group would have with Favila this week.
