The United States has imposed new tariffs of 12.5% on Philippine exports, citing the country’s alleged failure to adopt sufficient safeguards against goods produced using forced labor.
The decision, announced Friday (Manila time) by the Office of the United States Trade Representative, followed an investigation into 60 economies to determine whether they prohibit or effectively enforce bans on imports linked to forced labor.
Based on its findings, the USTR said the “Philippines has failed to impose and effectively enforce a forced-labor import prohibition.”
In a statement, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said, “The United States has had a forced labor import ban for nearly a century and rigorously enforces it; it’s well past time for our trading partners to do the same.”
“Today’s action will begin to correct what is both a human rights abuse and a distortive trade practice, to improve the welfare of workers everywhere,” he added.
The United States remains one of the Philippines’ largest trading partners, and the newly imposed tariff is expected to weigh heavily on Philippine exports.
In 2025, Philippine exports to the United States reached $13.46 billion, accounting for 15.9% of the country’s total exports. — Photo from Reuters
