The safeguard duty imposed by the Department of Trade and Industry has had no impact at all as cement imports maintained an upward trend in the first quarter.

DTI imposed a four percent import duty of P210 per metric ton or P8.40 per bag amid the surge in imports, which has affected local cement makers.

RSA bats for mandatory testing of cement imports

Latest data from DTI, however, showed that cement imports rose 64 percent to 1.74 million metric tons from January to March despite the imposition of tariff.

The local industry lost significant market share as a result of increased cement imports.

Capacity utilization also declined and earnings of cement companies fell sharply by 78 percent in 2017.

Cement manufacturers offer to undergo import shipment inspections

This development may serve as a basis for imposing not only a permanent safeguard measure but also a higher tariff rate for imported cement to serve public interest, the DTI said.

DTI said it would continue to monitor the prices of cement to determine whether or not to continue the imposition of the duty.