The president of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) believes that the tariff imposed by the United States government on the Philippines could slide further, and that August 7 will not be the final date for its implementation.

“In my evaluation, the tariff of the US to the Philippines is not yet final. If you notice, it keeps on changing. Let’s give it a few more months, the tariff will further go down as we don’t have anything to offer to the US government. We have already given so much,” said PCCI President Enunina Mangio in an ambush interview, on the sidelines of the Metro Manila Business Conference at Seda Vertis North, Quezon City, on Thursday.

She cited Cambodia and Vietnam as examples where tariffs eventually went down and are now almost the same as the Philippines'.

“And since we are an ally of the US, I am confident that the tariff rate for our export product will be lowered further. And since we have given so much, let us let them look at us as a future partner and ally,” she said, adding that she is confident the country’s negotiating team can highlight the Philippines' advantage to the US government to enjoy a more preferential tariff versus neighboring countries in the ASEAN region.

A new adjustment was made by the White House on July 31, marking a significant shift in U.S. trade policy toward the region, with rates varying widely between member states.

Singapore remains the lowest at 10 percent tariff, while Cambodia, Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia were given 19 percent, placing them in the mid-tier bracket.

Vietnam’s rate is slightly higher at 20 percent, Brunei will face 23 percent, while the steepest tariffs are reserved for Myanmar and Laos, each hit with 40 percent.

Despite this, Mangio stressed that although PCCI and PHILEXPORT members have some apprehension, they are more focused on improving the country’s cost of logistics.

“If we can lower the cost of logistics, then we can be competitive and better off. The tariff imposed on various countries, I think, would affect Americans more than us,” Mangio said.

100 percent tariff on electronics export

In a recent development, U.S. President Donald Trump announced the imposition of a 100 percent tariff on foreign-made semiconductors, although exemptions will be made for companies that have invested in the U.S.

“We’ll be putting a tariff of approximately 100 percent on chips and semiconductors, but if you’re building in the United States of America, there’s no charge, even though you’re building and you’re not producing yet,” Trump said.

With this, Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines, Inc. (SEIPI) President Danilo Lachica said the pronouncement is a catastrophe for all players in the semiconductor industry.

“100% tariff (imposition) would be devastating. The 70 percent of Philippine exports are semiconductors. It was $30 billion last year, 15 percent of that is US-bound,” Lachica told reporters in a Viber message.

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the country’s total export sales in June 2025 amounted to $7.02 billion, and the commodity group with the highest annual increment in the value of exports was electronic products with $897.38 million, followed by other mineral products and machinery and transport equipment.

By major trading partner, exports to the U.S. comprised the highest export value, amounting to $1.21 billion or a share of 17.3 percent of the country’s total exports in June 2025.