House of Representatives

Lawmakers call on Duterte to scrap EO on pork imports

Rambo Talabong

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Lawmakers call on Duterte to scrap EO on pork imports

INSPECTION. The Department of Agriculture-Bantay Presyo and the Quezon City LGU inspect pork prices at the Commonwealth and Nepa Q-Mart Market on Wednesday, February 24, 2021.

Rappler.com

Seventeen lawmakers say President Rodrigo Duterte's executive order lowering taxes for pork imports 'would create an irreparable damage to the pork industry'

Lawmakers from different parties called on President Rodrigo Duterte to revoke his Executive Order No. 128, which reduced the taxes on imported pork.

“EO 128 would create an irreparable damage to the pork industry and to the agricultural sector as a whole. EO 128 runs contrary to the promotion of the general welfare of the people which is a fundamental principle in our Constitution. By this reason alone, EO 128 must be withdrawn and terminated immediately,” 17 lawmakers said in a House joint resolution filed on Wednesday, April 14.

The joint resolution’s signatories included Makabayan lawmakers, Albay 1st District Representative Edcel Lagman, MAGSASAKA Party List Representative Argel Cabatbat, and Bataan 1st District Representative Geraldine Roman.

Why does this matter?

The lawmakers warned reducing tax for imported pork would decimate the local pork industry, and could affect other agricultural industries.

“Thousands of Filipinos depend on the pork industry for their livelihood. The impending production stoppage of many producers who cannot cope with the negative effects of the reduced tariff and MAV expansion will mean more loss of jobs and livelihood not only for the owners but also for the entire workforce of the industry,” the lawmakers said.

EO 128 – which Duterte signed last week when the 18th Congress already started its two-month break – reduces import taxes on chilled and fresh pork meat to address the supply shortage and soaring prices.

The power of a joint resolution

If joint resolutions are passed in the House and the Senate, the Congress can revoke Duterte’s power to control the tax rates.

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon said on Tuesday, April 13, that he and senators Cynthia Villar and Francis Pangilinan intend to file a joint resolution that aims to revoke EO No. 128. – Rappler.com

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Rambo Talabong

Rambo Talabong covers the House of Representatives and local governments for Rappler. Prior to this, he covered security and crime. He was named Jaime V. Ongpin Fellow in 2019 for his reporting on President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs. In 2021, he was selected as a journalism fellow by the Fellowships at Auschwitz for the Study of Professional Ethics.