Malacañang clarified on Wednesday that the Philippines was not excluded from the United States’ newly announced 0% tariff program for select Southeast Asian nations, saying the government voluntarily opted out to safeguard local industries from premature market liberalization.
According to Special Assistant to the President for Investment and Economic Affairs Frederick Go, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s administration deliberately chose to prioritize food security and domestic producers over immediate tariff concessions.
“We are trying to protect several industries in the Philippines, such as rice, corn, sugar, and poultry,” Go said in a statement relayed through Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro.
Castro explained that only two ASEAN member countries received preferential tariff treatment after they fully opened their markets to American food, agricultural, and industrial products.
The Palace issued the statement following disappointment expressed by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), which lamented the absence of tariff breaks for Manila despite its long-standing alliance with Washington.
Reports indicate that U.S. President Donald Trump has approved a 0% tariff scheme for selected goods from Malaysia, Cambodia, and Thailand, formalized during the recent ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Trump had earlier imposed steep import tariffs on nearly all foreign goods, including those from the Philippines. Manila was initially set to face a 20% tariff rate—3% higher than the earlier proposal of 17%—before Marcos personally negotiated with Trump during a meeting in Washington last July, successfully bringing it down to 19% starting August.
Go assured that while the Philippines remains committed to strengthening trade relations with the U.S., it will continue to balance foreign engagement with national interest.