PHL wood producers raise howl against smugglers of China plywood

The Philippine Wood Producers Association (PWPA) said Tuesday China-made plywood smuggled into the Philippines is threatening to erase 30,000 jobs from the industry.   China-made plywood is now flooding the domestic market and now accounts for least 25 percent market share, PWPA officials told reporters in a briefing Tuesday.   Deputy executive director Maila Vasquez noted that roughly 160 containers vans of China-made plywood enter the Philippines each month after President Benigno Aquino III issued Executive Order No. 23 in February declaring a moratorium on logging in natural or residual forests.   Imported plywood is released by the Bureau of Customs even if these are allegedly “underdeclared, misdeclared or as outright smuggled goods,” Vazquez said.   Prices of wood products in the local market steadily rose by 25 percent to 30 percent since then, compensating for the imbalance created in the demand and supply situation, according to PWPA data which also show that global prices have risen by 60 percent.   The arrival of China-made plywood is threatening the industry’s 30 plywood mills that employ more than 30,000 workers, Vasquez noted.   “Based on trade statistics, for every container of China-made plywood brought in, there are 16 local workers that lose their jobs. Beyond business, the local work force’s welfare is now a true cause of concern,” she said.   Vasquez also pointed out the supposed health and hazards from the use of imported plywood from China.   Imported wood has external veneer and are not sanded. Thus, the glue in the plywood is giving off a “high level of formaldehyde emissions that are a hazard to consumers and builders as well as construction workers,” the PWPA official said.   Customs Commissioner Ruffy Biazon earlier said he was committed to curbing malpractices in the import business.   Vasquez said she hopes Biazon will act in a timely manner and before the practice wipes out more jobs from the industry. — VS, GMA News