MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang said Friday it will continue engaging with the United States after Washington imposed an additional 12.5% tariff on Philippine exports over concerns about the country’s enforcement of laws against goods made with forced labor.
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the government respects the US decision and will continue discussions while assessing the impact of the new tariff on Philippine exports.
“We take note of the US decision and respect its processes. During the review, however, we emphasized that the Philippines has a strong policy against forced labor,” Castro said in a Viber message.
Castro said the government has also been informed of a Joint Administrative Order signed Thursday establishing a mechanism to prevent the importation of products made through forced labor.
“We will continue engaging with the US while reviewing the coverage of the exemptions and their impact on Philippine exports,” she said.
The additional tariff was imposed after the Office of the United States Trade Representative concluded that the Philippines “has failed to impose and effectively enforce a forced-labor import prohibition” following a review of 60 economies.
US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the United States has enforced a ban on imports produced through forced labor for nearly a century and expects its trading partners to adopt similar measures.
The United States remains the Philippines’ largest export market. Philippine exports to the US totaled $13.44 billion in 2025, accounting for 15.9% of the country’s total exports.
