EXTENDING THE EFFECTIVITY OF THE ZERO RATE OF IMPORT DUTY ON MILLING WHEAT UNDER SECTION 104 OF PRESIDENTIAL DECREE NO. 1464, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE TARIFF AND CUSTOMS CODE OF 1…

WHEREAS, Executive Order 765, issued on 7 November 2008, reduced the
duty on milling wheat and feed wheat from 3% and 7%, respectively, to
zero, for six months, subject to further review;

WHEREAS, pursuant to Section 3 of E.O. 765, series of 2008, a review
was undertaken by the Tariff and Related Matters (TRM) Committee to
determine if there is a need to extend the imposition of the MFN rate of
duty of zero on milling wheat and feed wheat;

WHEREAS, extending the zero duty on milling wheat would help
stabilize, if not bring down further, the prices of bread and other
flour-based products;

WHEREAS, the NEDA Board approved on 07 July 2009 the TRM
recommendation to extend the imposition of the MFN rate of duty of zero
on milling wheat for six (6) months, subject to further review;

WHEREAS, Section 401 of the Tariff and Customs Code of 1978
(Presidential Decree No. 1464), as amended, empowers the President of
the Republic of the Philippines to increase, reduce or remove existing
rates of import duty, as well as to modify the form of duty and the tariff nomenclature, under Section 104 of the Code;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO, President of the Republic
of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by law, do
hereby order:

SECTION 1. The articles specifically listed in Annex “A^[*]”
hereof as classified under Section 104 of the Tariff and Customs Code
of 1978, as amended, shall be subject to the Most-Favored-Nation (MFN)
rate of import duty in accordance with the schedule indicated opposite
each article.

SECTION 2. The nomenclature and the rates of import duty
on tariff headings not enumerated and those listed but represented by
the symbol “x x x “ shall remain in force and in effect.

SECTION 3. Upon the effectivity of this Executive Order,
all articles listed in Annex “A” except feed wheat (AHTN Heading No.
1001.90.99) which are entered and withdrawn from warehouses in the
Philippines for consumption shall be levied the MFN rate of duty of zero
ad valorem for six (6) months, subject to further review.

SECTION 4. All Presidential issuances, administrative
rules and regulations, or parts thereof, which are contrary to or
inconsistent with this Executive Order are hereby revoked or modified
accordingly.

SECTION 5. This Executive Order shall take
effect immediately following its complete publication in the Official
Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation in the Philippines.

Adopted: 10 July 2009

(SGD.) GLORIA M. ARROYO
President of the Philippines   

BY THE PRESIDENT:

(SGD.) EDUARDO R. ERMITA
Executive Secretary

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^[*] Text Available at Office of the National Administrative Register, U.P. Law Complex, Diliman, Quezon City.