The Philippines recently requested the US to exempt all, or at least some, of its exports from proposed tariffs targeting countries with inadequate safeguards against imports produced with forced labour.
The country already has a ‘robust’ legal framework and a ‘proven track record’ in preventing forced labour, the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry told the office of the USTR.
“The Philippines has long demonstrated that its locally produced goods, including those exported to the US, do not rely on forced labor,” DTI said in one of its submissions, filed by trade undersecretary Ceferino Rodolfo.
As only 0.01 per cent of the Philippines’ $48.25 billion worth of exports to the United States between 2023 and 2026 had been denied entry, the country is a ‘low-risk and responsible trading partner’, it said.
The government is further strengthening its enforcement framework through a joint administrative order being drafted with the Department of Labour and Employment and the Department of Finance, DTI was cited as saying in its submissions by a domestic media outlet.
This proposed issuance would establish procedures for receiving, evaluating, investigating and resolving allegations involving imported goods suspected of being produced through forced labour.
Following an investigation, the USTR in June this year proposed imposing an additional 12.5-per cent tariff on imports from countries that fail to establish and effectively enforce safeguards against goods made with forced labour.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)
