By Ferdinand Patinio
MANILA – The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is formulating measures to address the effects of the 19 percent tariff to be imposed by the US government on Philippine-made products.
“We are formulating measures because we are also anticipating it (possible impact). As we implement our programs, we also continue to observe any movement,” Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma said on the sidelines of the 2025 Post-State of the Nation Address (SONA) discussions in San Juan City on Wednesday.
“During the discussions today related to trade and industry, there is always an impact on our workers and investors. It is not only workers who will be affected, but also investors. So, we will always monitor, I mentioned earlier the labor and employment plan. We always have projections on how many will be created and how many will be lost.”
He noted that the impact of the tariff implementation would be felt by those engaged in the manufacturing sector.
“We are waiting for the impact since the issue related to tariffs will, of course, have an impact on our manufacturers. That is why we also have the Adjustment Measures Program (AMP), so we can see how it can be guided, especially those that will be affected, which are small businesses,” Laguesma said.
“We cannot say that it has no impact. It has an impact on the costs of shipment of our products, and of course, other countries, with lower tariffs, will be very competitive, particularly those that have access to the supply chain of materials.”
Last week, US President Donald Trump announced that his government is imposing a 19 percent tariff rate on goods from the Philippines, lower than the 20 percent he announced earlier. (PNA)
