MANILA, Philippines — The United States has imposed an additional 12.5 percent tariff on most Philippine exports after concluding that the country failed to adequately block imports made with forced labor, raising the total duties on many Philippine goods entering the US.

The measure follows a Section 301 investigation by the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), which found that the Philippines "has failed to impose and effectively enforce a forced-labor import prohibition," placing it among 60 economies deemed to have safeguards weaker than those of the United States.

"The United States has had a forced labor import ban for nearly a century, and rigorously enforces it; it's well past time for our trading partners to do the same," US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said.

Within ASEAN, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam will also be subject to the 12.5 percent tariff, while countries outside Southeast Asia facing the same rate include Australia, Brazil, China, Iraq, Israel, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Türkiye and the United Arab Emirates.

The Philippines is among the Southeast Asian countries facing the highest additional tariff rates, a development that could weigh on exporters given that the United States remains the country's largest export market. Philippine exports to the US totaled $13.44 billion in 2025, accounting for 15.9 percent of total outbound shipments, although this was down from $14.5 billion in 2024.

The latest duty follows Washington's earlier decision to reduce its temporary tariff on Philippine goods to 10 percent after a US Supreme Court ruling in February struck down President Donald Trump's blanket reciprocal tariff enforcement. Before that, the United States had imposed a 19- to 20-percent tariff following trade talks between President Trump and President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in August last year.

Under the revised US tariff schedule, the Philippines falls under tariff heading 9903.05.64, which imposes an additional 12.5 percent ad valorem duty on most Philippine products, excluding specified exempt goods. The tariff applies to goods entered for consumption or withdrawn from warehouses beginning at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Time on 24 July 2026.