Local Business Industries Act

[REPUBLIC ACT NO. 8800]

AN ACT PROTECTING LOCAL INDUSTRIES BY PROVIDING SAFEGUARD MEASURES TO BE UNDERTAKEN IN RESPONSE TO INCREASED IMPORTS AND PROVIDING PENALTIES FOR VIOLATION THEREOF

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress assembled:

CHAPTER I

GENERAL PROVISIONS

SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the "Safeguard Measures Act".

SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. - The State shall promote the competitiveness of domestic industries and producers based on sound industrial and agricultural development policies, and the efficient use of human, natural and technical resources. In pursuit of this goal and in the public interest, the State shall provide safeguard measures to protect domestic industries and producers from increased imports which cause or threaten to cause serious injury to those domestic industries and producers.

SEC. 3. Scope of Application. - This Act shall apply to products being imported into the country irrespective of source.

SEC. 4. Definitions. - For the purposes of this Act, the following terms are defined as follows:

(a) "Agricultural product" refers to a specific commodity under Chapters 1 to 24 of the Harmonized System (HS) of Commodity Classification as used in the Tariff and Customs Code of the Philippines;

(b) "Commission" shall refer to the Tariff Commission;

(c) "Consumers" shall refer to natural persons or organized consumer groups who are purchasers, lessees, recipients, or prospective purchasers, lessees, recipients of consumer products, services or credit;

(d) "Critical circumstances" shall mean circumstances where there is prima facie evidence that increased imports, whether absolute or relative to domestic production, are a substantial cause of serious injury or threat thereof to the domestic industry and that delay in taking action under this Act would cause damage to the industry that would be...