2 more senators back proposed revocation of EO reducing tariffs on pork imports

Two more senators on Wednesday backed the proposal to revoke President Rodrigo Duterte's executive order reducing the tariff rate for pork imports.

In a statement, Senator Imee Marcos insisted that billions of pesos from tariff collections will be lost if the rates would be reduced, to the detriment of local hog raisers.

"Right from the start, I’ve been against the mass importation of pork, favored by the Department of Agriculture. About P14 billion in tariff collections will be lost, collections from which ‘ayuda’ and vaccine funding can be drawn," she said.

"More than 2.5 million hog farmers will be mired in losses, 65% of them just backyard raisers and poor," she added.

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon on Tuesday announced that he, along with Senate agriculture panel chair Cynthia Villar and Senator Francis Pangilinan, will be filing a joint resolution to revoke Executive Order (EO) 128, which the President issued last week.

The said order provides for the reduction of the tariff rates for imported pork meat to 5% to 20% from 30% to 40% for a year "to address pork supply shortage, stabilize prices of pork meat and minimize inflation rates" amid the outbreak of African swine fever (ASF).

"EO 128 will kill the local hog industry, not the African Swine Fever or ASF. The irrational and drastic decision to increase the minimum access volume or MAV serves as a final ‘nail in the coffin’ of the local hog industry," Drilon said.

"Our local hog raisers suffered a double blow in the last two weeks and it is the duty of Congress to stand up for them. Hindi kaya ng maliliit nating hog raisers ang laban sa mga malalaking importers of meat products," he added.

(Our small-time hog raisers cannot go head-to-head with huge importers to meat products.)

Malacañang said it respects the call of the senators to revoke EO 128, saying that the decision to do so is well within the power of Congress.

'Well and good'

Senator Panfilo Lacson welcomed Malacañang's response on the issue, saying that it would be "well and good" if EO 128 would indeed be recalled.

"It would mean that the President is not impervious to valid criticisms against an ill-advised course of action that will bring more harm than good on all practical aspects involving the hog industry," he said.

"I hope the President considers the plight of the dying industry affecting 80,000 backyard hog raisers along with hundreds of thousands of farmhands and their families - and the foregone revenues the government will deal with, especially at this time of the pandemic," he added.

Under EO 128, the tariff rate for  imported pork meat within quota or minimum access volume (MAV)—whether fresh, chilled or frozen—will be pegged at 5% for the first three months upon the EO’s effectivity and 10% for the fourth to 12 months.

The tariff rate for imported meat outside of the MAV, however, has been set to 15% for the first three months upon the EO’s effectivity and 20% for the fourth to the 12th months.

The existing 30% to 40% tariff rate for imported pork will be restored after the 12th month. — RSJ, GMA News