Article by:
Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos
MANILA – The Philippines will continue to work closely with the United States (US) to maintain the two nations’ good relations even as its Supreme Court (SC) struck down President Donald Trump’s sweeping global tariffs, Malacañang said on Saturday.
In a statement, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said majority of Philippine exports already enjoyed zero tariff in the US even before the latest decision on Trump’s far-reaching tariff agenda.
Castro was referring to over PHP1 billion worth of Philippine exports bound for the US, which were spared from the 19-percent headline tariff following the new exemption for certain goods, mainly agricultural products contained in the executive order issued by Trump in November 2025.
“[Finance] Secretary [Frederick] Go had previously explained that majority of our exports were already exempted even before this US SC decision,” she said.
"We will continue to engage with the USA as it is an important trade and investment partner,” Castro added.
In a 6-3 decision, the US SC ruled that Trump’s sweeping global tariffs were illegal because he exceeded his legal authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).
The court emphasized that the US Constitution gives Congress, not the president, the exclusive authority to levy taxes and import duties.
Trump invoked the IEEPA, a 1977 law, to impose tariffs on nearly all US trading partners, citing national emergency over a trade deficit. (PNA)
Log in with Google