Philippines Member profile
Status of notification in the reporting periods
2010-2012
2012-2014
2014-2016
2016-2018
2018-2020
2020-2022
2022-2024
2024-2026
Notification information
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Philippines
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20/02/2025
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2024-2026
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Philippines
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01/10/2024
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2024-2026
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Philippines
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10/02/2023
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2022-2024
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Philippines
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23/02/2021
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2014-2016, 2016-2018, 2018-2020, 2020-2022
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Philippines
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19/05/2015
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2014-2016
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Types of restrictions
All biennial periods and all notifications
Top 10 HS chapters notified
All biennial periods and all notifications
Top 10 WTO justifications notified
All biennial periods and all notifications
Top 10 Non-WTO commitments notified
All biennial periods and all notifications
QR details
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Trade policy review
Latest Trade Policy Review (Report by the WTO Secretariat): WT/TPR/S/368/Rev.1
A. Import prohibitions and restrictions and import licensing
3.31.
The Philippines prohibits the importation of certain goods under the Republic Act No. 10863, also known as the "Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA)" and various other laws (Box 3.1). The list of products subject to an import prohibition has remained largely unchanged since the Philippines last TPR. The Philippines notified its import prohibitions to the WTO.[67]
3.32.
A vast range of goods is subject to licences or permits when imported (Table 3.6). For certain products, multiple permits or licences are required, and informal payments have been reported by the business community.[68] The import licensing regime is regulated mainly by the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act of 30 May 2016. Import licensing is intended, inter alia, to safeguard public health, national security and welfare, and to meet international treaty obligations regulating certain products. Costs for the licence or permit depend on its validity period, the product, and import quantities; additional inspection fees may also apply.[69]
3.33.
Applications must generally be filed at least two weeks prior to the loading date. Licences may be granted immediately. Processing time for SPS licences usually takes between three and five days. Fees vary by-products and are collected by the agency granting the licence. In case of disapproval of an application, the applicant is informed of the reason and may make a written appeal for reconsideration.
3.34.
Licensing procedures are also in place for products subject to tariff quotas (Section 3.1.3.2). For agricultural products, there are regular and special licences. Regular licences are issued annually for tariff quotas at the start of the quota year. Special licences, which may be valid for less than a year, are issued for tariff quotas reallocated from the surrendered volumes during the quota year, additional quotas created by government and any remaining quota allocated on a first-come-first-serve basis. Processing of special licences takes about one month.
3.35.
Licensees who use less than the quota utilization threshold (set at 80%) are penalized; 50% of their unused and unsurrendered quotas is deducted from their next quota-year allocation on the first instance; 75% on the second instance; and 100% on the third instance. The list of licensees and their corresponding allocations are published in two newspapers of national circulation.
3.36.
The Philippines replied to the questionnaire on import licensing procedures.[70]
3.37.
Since its last TPR, the Philippines has also prohibited or restricted the importation of various products for sanitary or phytosanitary reasons (Section 3.3.2).
B. Export prohibitions and restrictions
3.46.
The Philippines prohibits or regulates exports on grounds of national interest, security, public health, food security and to fulfil the requirements of international agreements (e.g. CITES).
3.47.
Export prohibitions apply to certain wildlife and plant species, gold from small-scale mining[100], raw rattan, logs from naturally grown trees, and matured coconuts[101].
3.48.
Export restrictions and licences apply to a very wide range of products (Table 3.9). The elimination of restrictions and licensing requirements for some products would facilitate their exportation.
3.49.
Exports of rice, corn, and sugar remain restricted. In order to ensure food security and price stability, these commodities may be exported only if there is a surplus, according to the authorities. Fish exports are also regulated on grounds of domestic food security. Exports, when allowed, require a permit issued by the DOA. Permits are granted on a per-shipment basis. A sanitary certificate must also be issued on a per-shipment basis. In addition, only fish products that have been processed in fish-processing establishments certified by the BFAR as compliant with the Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point system, may be exported.
WTO's environmental database (EDB)
The EDB contains environment-related measures that may qualify as QRs and therefore should be notified under the QR Decision.