WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SG/N/11/PHL/5/Suppl.4 
G/SG/N/14/PHL/2/Suppl.1 8 January 2008 
 
(08-0062) 
Committee on Safeguards Original:   English 
  
 
NOTIFICATION PURSUANT TO ARTICLE 9, FOOTNOTE 2, 
OF THE AGREEMENT ON SAFEGUARDS 
 
NOTIFICATION UNDER ARTICLE 12.1(C) OF THE  
AGREEMENT ON SAFEGUARDS 
(EXTENSION OF THE EXISTING MEASURE)  
 
PHILIPPINES 
 
Supplement
 
 
(Float Glass ) 
   The following communication, dated 7 January 2008 , is being circulation at the request of the 
Delegation of the Philippines.   
 
_______________ 
 
  Further to G/SG/N/11/PHL/5/Suppl.3 (and corrigendum) and G/SG/N/14/PHL/2 (and 
corrigendum) dated 4 December 2006, the Philippines notifies the Committee that, on 
10 December 2007, the safeguard duty on Cl ear Float Glass was reduced from Philippine 
Pesos 3,971.00 per metric ton in the first year of the extension of the measure, to Philippine 
Pesos 3,772.45 per metric ton for the second year of the extension;  and on Tinted Float Glass, from 
Philippine Pesos 5,016.00 per metric ton in the first year of the extension of the measure, to Philippine 
Pesos 4,765.20 per metric ton for the second year of the extension.  The Philippines also notifies the 
list of developing countries exempt from the measu re pursuant to Article 9.1 of the Agreement on 
Safeguards.    G/SG/N/11/PHL/5/Suppl.4 
G/SG/N/14/PHL/2/Suppl.1 Page 2 
 
 
  IN THE MATTER OF THE REDUCTION OF THE DEFINITIVE GENERAL  
SAFEGUARD MEASURES AGAINST THE IMPORTATION OF  
FLOAT GLASS FROM VARIOUS COUNTRIES 
 
CLEAR FLOAT GLASS - HS HEADING NO. 7005.2990 or 
 AHTN Nos. 7005.2920 AND 7005.2990) 
 
TINTED FLOAT GLASS - HS HEADING NO . 7005.2190 or AHTN Nos. 7005.2120  
and 7005.2190 (Safeguard Investigation No. 02-2006) 
 
Asahi Glass Co. (AGC) Flat Glass Philippines, Inc.  
(formerly Asahi Glass Philippines) 
Petitioner 
 
_______________ 
 
 
ORDER  
 
 On 06 November 2006, the Secretary of the De partment of Trade and Industry (DTI) issued 
an Order extending the definitive general safeguard  measure on importations of float glass for another 
three years based on the recommendations of the Tariff Commission.  For the first (1
st) year of the 
extension period, the definitive general safeguard measure of P 3,971.00/MT was imposed for clear 
float glass and P 5,016.00/MT for tinted float glass.  The first year of implementation of the extended 
measure started on 08 December 2006 thru Cust oms Memorandum Circular (CMC) 297-2006.  
The DTI Order, likewise, provides that the safeguard duty for the second (2nd) and third (3rd) years of 
the extension period will be subject to an annua l review as provided under Rule 15.6 of the 
Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR)  of Republic Act (RA) No. 8800.   
  On 21 September 2007, DTI notified and re quested the domestic industry, importers, 
exporters and other concerned parties to submit their position paper on the on-going review to 
determine the appropriate amount of the safeguard  measure for the second year of the extension 
period.  Responses were received from the Embassy of Pakistan, Viet Nam, Singapore, Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO), Philippine Ch amber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), Asia 
Glass Palace Inc. and San Francisco Mirror Corp.  The Embassy of the Republic of South Africa 
acknowledged the receipt of the said notice but  no submission was received from them.   
 
 The DTI reviewed the movement in prices fo r both the locally produced and imported clear 
and tinted float glass as well as the import trends from December 2006 to January-August 2007.   
  During the period under consideration, China acc ounted for the biggest share equivalent to 
44 per cent of total imports of clear float glass from covered countries, followed by Viet Nam at 
33 per cent.  Imports from these two (2) countries accounted for about 80 per cent of total Philippine 
imports during the 2007 (January-August) period.  Bangladesh, which was previously exempt from 
the duty, registered 9.91 per cent share to total imports during the period from zero imports for the 
period 2002 to 2006.  Weighted average landed co st of imports from China (44.20 per cent), 
Indonesia (4.15 per cent) and Malaysia (3.8 per cen t share) recorded the lowest values during the 
January – August 2007 period.   
  For tinted float glass, China again registered th e highest share to total Philippine imports at 
44 per cent, followed by Indonesia at 42 per cent and Malaysia at 9.8 per cent.  These countries accounted for 96 per cent of total Philippine imports.    G/SG/N/11/PHL/5/Suppl.4 
 G/SG/N/14/PHL/2/Suppl.1  Page 3 
 
 
   It was observed that the continuous growth of  low priced imports still pose a threat to the 
viability of the domestic industry and may affect the i ndustry's efforts to improve its competitiveness.   
  IN VIEW THEREOF , and in accordance with Section 19(2) of RA 8800, the following is 
hereby issued:   
 1. The amount of the definitive general safeguard  measure for float glass for the second year of 
the extension period shall be reduced by 5 per cent.  Thus, the definitive general safeguard 
measure of P
3,772.45/MT shall be imposed for clear float glass and P 4,765.20/MT for tinted 
float glass, respectively.  The amount of the measu re for the third year of the extension period 
shall be subject to an annual review for the pur pose of liberalizing or reducing its intensity as 
provided under Rule 15.6 of the IRR of RA8800.   
 2. Pursuant to Section 13 of RA 8800 and Rule 13.1.d of its IRR, " a general safeguard 
measure shall not be applied to a product or iginating from a developing country if its 
share to total Philippine imports of the sa id product is less than three percent (3 per 
cent):  Provided, however, that developing countries with less than three percent (3 per 
cent) share collectively account for not more th an nine percent (9 per cent) of the total 
Philippine imports of the product concerned".   
  Considering that imports of clear float glass from Bangladesh have exceeded the three percent 
(3 per cent) threshold during the review period,  imports from Bangladesh shall be subject to 
the imposition of the safeguard measure for the 2
nd year of the extension period.   
  However, imports from the countries and separ ate customs territories listed in Annexes A 
and B shall continue to be excluded from the impos ition of the definitive general safeguard duty on 
float glass products (clear and tinted).  The composition of the developing countries on the de minimis  
list may change depending on the most recent data av ailable during the period of annual review which 
will be conducted by DTI during the extension period.     All importers of float glass (clear and tinted), regardless of port of exportation, are required to 
secure a Certificate of Country of Origin (CO) issu ed by the authorized ag ency/office in the source 
country of manufacture as authenticated by the Philippine Embassy/Consulate thereat.     The notification and consultation requirem ents of Article 12 of the WTO Safeguards 
Agreement and Section 17 of RA 8800 and its IRR sh all be complied with.  Imports originating from 
ASEAN Member states shall be governed by the provi sions of Articles 6 and 8 of the Agreement on 
the CEPT Scheme.     The application for the extended definitive ge neral safeguard measure shall be monitored and 
reviewed in accordance with Sections 15 and 16 of RA 8800.    
 Let this Order be published in two (2) newspa pers of general circul ation and let individual 
notices be sent to all interested parties including the country members concerned.   G/SG/N/11/PHL/5/Suppl.4 
G/SG/N/14/PHL/2/Suppl.1 Page 4 
 
 
   This Order shall take effect upon the issu ance of the relevant Memorandum Order by the 
Bureau of Customs or 15 days after the publication of this Order in two (2) newspapers of general 
circulation, whichever comes earlier.    
SO ORDERED.   
   10 December 2007 
 
   
PETER B. FAVILA 
Secretary  
  G/SG/N/11/PHL/5/Suppl.4 
 G/SG/N/14/PHL/2/Suppl.1  Page 5 
 
 
  ANNEX A  
 
List of Developing Countries Excluded from the Imposition 
of Definitive Safeguard Measure 
on Clear Float Glass 
 
East & Southern 
Africa West Africa North Africa South Asia 
Angola 
Botswana Burundi 
Comoros 
Congo. Dem. Rep. Djibouti Eritrea Ethiopia 
Kenya 
Lesotho Madagascar Malawi Mauritius 
Mozambique 
Namibia Reunion Rwanda Seychelles Somalia 
South Africa 
Sudan Swaziland Tanzania Uganda 
Zambia 
Zimbabwe Benin 
Burkina Faso Cameroon 
Cape Verde 
Central African Rep. Chad Congo, Rep. 
Cote d'Ivoire 
Equatorial Guinea Gabon Gambia, The Ghana 
Guinea 
Guinea, Bissau Liberia Mali Mauritania Niger 
Nigeria 
Sao Tome &    Principe Senegal Sierra Leone 
Togo Algeria 
Egypt, Arab Rep. Libya 
Morocco 
Tunisia Afghanistan 
Bhutan British Indian Ocean  
  Territory 
East Timor Maldives Nepal Sri Lanka 
  
Europe & Central 
Asia Middle East Americas East Asia & Pacific 
Albania 
Armenia Azerbaijan Belarus Bosnia &  
  Herzegovina 
Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic 
Estonia 
Georgia Greenland Bahrain 
Iran, Islamic Rep. Iraq Israel Jordan 
Kuwait 
Lebanon Oman Qatar Saudi Arabia 
Syrian Arab Rep. 
United Arab    Emirates Anguilla  
Antigua & Barbuda Argentina Aruba Bahamas 
Barbados 
Belize Bermuda Bolivia Brazil 
British Virgin Is. 
Cayman Is. Chile American Samoa 
Brunei Darussalam Cambodia Christmas Is. Cocos (Keeling) Is. 
Cook Is. 
Fiji French Polynesia Guam Hong Kong, China 
Johnston Is. 
Kiribati Korea, Dem. Rep. G/SG/N/11/PHL/5/Suppl.4 
G/SG/N/14/PHL/2/Suppl.1 Page 6 
 
 
  Europe & Central 
Asia Middle East Americas East Asia & Pacific 
Hungary 
Kazakhstan Kyrgyz Republic 
Latvia 
Lithuania Macedonia, FYR Malta Moldova Poland 
Romania 
Russian Federation Slovakia Slovenia Tajikistan 
Turkey 
Turkmenistan Ukraine Uzbekistan Yugoslavia, Fed.  
  Rep. West Bank & Gaza 
Yemen, Rep. Colombia 
Costa Rica Cuba 
Dominica 
Dominican Rep. Ecuador El Salvador Falkland Is. (Malvinas) 
French Guiana 
Grenada Guadeloupe Guatemala Guyana 
Haiti 
Honduras Jamaica Martinique Mexico 
Montserrat 
Netherlands Antilles Nicaragua Norfolk Is. Panama Paraguay 
Peru 
Puerto Rico St. Helena St. Kitts & Navis St. Lucia 
St. Pierre & 
Miquelon St. Vincent & the        Grenadines Suriname 
Trinidad & Tobago 
Turks & Caicos Is. Uruguay US Virgin Is.. Venezuela Lao PDR 
Macao, China Marshall Islands 
Micronesia, Fed. Sts. 
Midway Is. Mongolia Myanmar Nauru New Caledonia 
Niue 
Northern Marianas Is. Palau Pitcairn Is. Papua New Guinea 
Samoa 
Solomon Islands Tokelau Tonga Tuvalu 
Vanuatu 
Wake Is. Wallis & Futuna Is. 
 
  G/SG/N/11/PHL/5/Suppl.4 
 G/SG/N/14/PHL/2/Suppl.1  Page 7 
 
 
  ANNEX B  
 
List of Developing Countries Excluded from the Imposition 
of Definitive Safeguard Measure 
on Tinted Float Glass 
 
East & Southern 
Africa West Africa North Africa South Asia 
Angola 
Botswana Burundi 
Comoros 
Congo. Dem. Rep. Djibouti Eritrea Ethiopia 
Kenya 
Lesotho Madagascar Malawi Mauritius 
Mozambique 
Namibia Reunion Rwanda Seychelles Somalia 
South Africa 
Sudan Swaziland Tanzania Uganda 
Zambia 
Zimbabwe Benin 
Burkina Faso Cameroon 
Cape Verde 
Central African Rep. Chad Congo, Rep. 
Cote d'Ivoire 
Equatorial Guinea Gabon Gambia, The Ghana 
Guinea 
Guinea, Bissau Liberia Mali Mauritania Niger 
Nigeria 
Sao Tome & Principe Senegal Sierra Leone 
Togo Algeria 
Egypt, Arab Rep. Libya 
Morocco 
Tunisia Afghanistan 
Bangladesh Bhutan 
British Indian Ocean 
Territory East Timor Maldives Nepal 
Pakistan 
Sri Lanka 
  
Europe & Central 
Asia Middle East Americas East Asia & Pacific 
Albania 
Armenia Azerbaijan Belarus Bosnia & 
Herzegovina 
Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic 
Estonia 
Georgia Greenland Bahrain 
Iran, Islamic Rep. Iraq Israel Jordan 
Kuwait 
Lebanon Oman Qatar Saudi Arabia 
Syrian Arab Rep. 
United Arab Emirates Anguilla  
Antigua & Barbuda Argentina Aruba 
Bahamas 
Barbados Belize Bermuda Bolivia 
Brazil 
British Virgin Is. Cayman Is. American Samoa 
Brunei Darussalam Cambodia Christmas Is. Cocos (Keeling) Is. 
Cook Is. 
Fiji French Polynesia Guam Hong Kong, China 
Johnston Is. 
Kiribati Korea, Dem. Rep. G/SG/N/11/PHL/5/Suppl.4 
G/SG/N/14/PHL/2/Suppl.1 Page 8 
 
 
  Europe & Central 
Asia Middle East Americas East Asia & Pacific 
Hungary 
Kazakhstan Kyrgyz Republic 
Latvia 
Lithuania Macedonia, FYR Malta Moldova Poland 
Romania 
Russian Federation Slovakia Slovenia Tajikistan 
Turkey 
Turkmenistan Ukraine Uzbekistan Yugoslavia, Fed.  
  Rep. West Bank & Gaza 
Yemen, Rep. Chile 
Colombia Costa Rica 
Cuba 
Dominica Dominican Rep. Ecuador El Salvador Falkland Is. 
(Malvinas) 
French Guiana Grenada Guadaloupe Guatemala 
Guyana 
Haiti Honduras Jamaica Martinique 
Mexico 
Montserrat Netherland Antilles Nicaragua Norfolk Is. Panama 
Paraguay 
Peru Puerto Rico St. Helena St. Kitts & Navis 
St. Lucia 
St. Pierre & Miquelon St. Vincent & the    Grenadines 
Suriname 
Trinidad & Tobago Turks & Caicos Is. Uruguay US Virgin Is.. 
Venezuela Lao PDR 
Macao, China Marshall Islands 
Micronesia, Fed. Sts. 
Midway Is. Mongolia Myanmar Nauru New Caledonia 
Niue 
Northern Marianas Is. Palau Pitcairn Is. Papua New Guinea 
Samoa 
Solomon Islands Chinese-Taipei Thailand Tokelau 
Tonga 
Tuvalu Vanuatu Wake Is. Wallis & Futuna Is. 
  
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