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Newly signed Executive Order No. 123 retains the most-favored nation rate of 5% for mechanically deboned meat of chicken and turkey
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Order validity period of 5% import rate until December 31, 2022
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EO notes urgent need to keep food prices stable to mitigate adverse impacts of the pandemic
President Rodrigo Duterte has signed an executive order maintaining the 5% import duty on certain poultry products until December 31, 2022 to keep food prices stable amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Signed on January 15, 2021, EO 123 Series of 2021 maintains the most-favored nation (MFN) rate of 5% for mechanically deboned or separated meat of chicken and turkey provided under EO 82. The new EO took immediate effect.
READ: PH keeps low import duty for deboned poultry meat
It also extends the validity of EO 82–which was issued in 2019 and was effective until December 31, 2020–for two years, or until December 31, 2022.
EO 123 notes that with the continuing crisis brought about by the coronavirus disease pandemic, “there is an urgent need to adopt measures aimed towards mitigating the adverse impacts of the current situation on the lives and livelihoods of Filipinos.”
Duterte said the order is crucial to ensure “continued supply of essential food products at stable prices.” It will also help companies recover and sustain their operations, and likewise lead to job preservation and creation of employment opportunities to support the economy.
Maintaining the existing import duty was recommended by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board.
Section 1608 of Republic Act No. 10863, or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act, authorizes the President, upon the recommendation of NEDA, to increase, reduce, or remove existing rates of import duty. Section 1609 of the same law also notes that the President, from time to time, may modify import duties to expand the foreign market of Philippine products as a means of assisting in economic development.
Under EO 123, all articles covered and are entered into or withdrawn from warehouses in the Philippines for consumption shall be levied the MFN rates of duty as prescribed in the order.
