The Tariff Commission will commence hearings on the proposed reduction in rice tariffs on Friday, Sept. 15. Interested parties are urged to register their participation by the end of business hours on Thursday, Sept. 14.
The public hearing will be conducted via videoconferencing from 9:00 AM to 12:00 NN.
The hearing is in response to the petition filed by the Foundation for Economic Freedom, Inc. (FEF), which proposed to reduce the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) tariff rates on rice from 35 percent to 10 percent for both in-quota and out-quota.
Interested parties are encouraged to submit their position papers using the template provided on the Commission's website.
The deadline for submitting position papers is also on Sept. 14, 2023.
Lower rice tariff hearings kick off on Friday
Sep 12, 2023 01:38 AM
At a glance
The Tariff Commission will commence hearings on the proposed reduction in rice tariffs on Friday, Sept. 15.
In a notice of public hearing posted on its website, the commission is inviting all interested parties to register their participation before the end of business hours on Thursday, Sept. 14.
"Interested parties shall be afforded the opportunity to be present and present evidence to support their position/s on the subject matter," the notice dated Sept. 11, 2023 stated.
The document, signed by Tariff Commission Chairperson Marilou R. Mendoza, noted that the public hearing will be conducted via videoconferencing from 9:00 AM to 12:00 NN.
According to the commission, the hearing is in accordance with the petition submitted by the Foundation for Economic Freedom, Inc. (FEF).
The agency said the FEF proposed to decrease the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) tariff rates on rice from 35 percent to 10 percent for both in-quota and out-quota.
"Interested parties are also encouraged to submit their position papers, using the position paper template provided on the Commission's website," the notice read.
The deadline for submitting the position papers is also on Sept. 14, 2023.
Last Friday, Finance Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno said the economic team recommended a temporary decrease in rice import tariff rates to address the rising prices of rice.
But Diokno’s proposed reduction ranges from zero percent to 10 percent for both ASEAN and MFN.
Diokno explained that President Marcos can lower tariffs through an executive order, as long as Congress is not in session.
Republic Act (RA) 11203, or the "Rice Tariffication Law,” grants the President the ability to modify rice import duty rates within set boundaries.
However, this authority can only be exercised when Congress is not in session, and any adjustments made will take effect 15 days after they are published.
Diokno said the Tariff Commission can begin holding public hearings on the proposed reduction while Congress is still in session until Sept. 29.
“By this time, it might be possible to hold a hearing. They said you can adjust it during recess, but for now, you can conduct hearings,” Diokno told reporters.