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BusinessWorld
February 24, 2021 | 7:54 pm
AUTO WORKERS who sought safeguard duties on car imports asserted their standing to file such a petition after being queried about whether they actually represent the industry.
The Trade department imposed provisional duties on car imports after investigating an application from the Philippine Metalworkers Alliance (PMA), which claimed a decline in domestic employment after a surge in imports.
As the Tariff Commission conducts its own investigation, lawyers representing auto companies and industry groups affected by the duties questioned the labor group’s standing to seek such a petition. Domestic manufacturers oppose the duties.
PMA said it is a legitimate stakeholder in the auto industry because it represents workers whose job security was affected by disruptions in the production process.
BusinessWorld
February 25, 2021 | 12:31 am
FEWER COUNTRIES will be exempt from duties placed on car imports after the government reassessed its developing economy classifications set to comply with international rules, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said.
In department administrative order 21-01 published on Tuesday, the DTI said that it must follow an agreement with the World Trade Organization (WTO) to exclude developing countries with minimal or insignificant import volume from safeguard measures.
But it also said that developing economies are further classified in a low to lower middle-income spectrum and have low to high human development. It added that members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) are mainly high-income economies.
Automakers and importers are now cracking down on the Philippine Metalworkers Alliance (PMA) for allegedly misrepresenting the local auto manufacturing industry. The alliance is already in hot water after filing a petition to impose safeguard duties on imported vehicles.
During a hearing with the Tariff Commission, members of the legal counsel of several automakers stepped in to voice their concerns. Mitsubishi Motor Philippines Corporation (MMPC) legal counsel Eric Ricalde of SGV& Co. stated that he doubts the ability of the PMA to present data as it does not have access to or personal knowledge on sensitive information about the automakers.
Reporter
THE LEGAL representatives of industry groups affected by safeguard duties on car imports are questioning the validity of the petition for the protection measure filed by a labor group.
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) applied safeguard duties after it confirmed the Philippine Metalworkers Alliance’s (PMA) claim that employment in the industry sank after imports spiked.
The Safeguard Measures Act or Republic Act No. 8800 allows domestic producers to ask the government to conduct an investigation into their import competitors if they claim to have been injured by excessive imports.
“PMA is a national union of automotive, iron, and steel workers in electronics and electrical sectors. They do not represent the domestic industry,” Rodolf C. Britanico, the legal representative of the China Chamber of Commerce for Imports and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products, said at a conference with the Tariff Commission on Wednesday.