Tuesday, March 03, 2009 [ manilatimes.net ]
The government would not yet be importing cement as prices have remained relatively stable, the Trade department said.
On the sidelines of a briefing, Trade Undersecretary Zenaida Maglaya said there is no need to import lower-priced cement at the moment. She said the government would only bring in imported cement when prices of those locally produced become prohibitive.
Maglaya said the zero tariff slapped on cement keeps local cement prices down as local cement manufacturers opted to sell their products at competitive levels to defend themselves from imports that may come in.
Earlier, the Trade department said it would be sourcing cheaper cement, possibly from Japan, through Philippine International Trading Corp. (PITC) this month.
Maglaya said PITC has yet to import cement and the agency is just on standby. She added that the agency is ready to import anytime local cement prices gets unreasonably high.-- Ben Arnold O. de Vera
