PHL to notify WTO that law won’t be ready by rice QR’s end

THE government is set to notify the World Trade Organization ( WTO) on its failure to prepare for the end of the quantitative restriction (QR) regime on rice.

Director of the National Economic and Development Authority’s (NEDA) Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment section Mercedita S. Sombilla said that despite having drawn up a draft bill for the amendment of the Tariff ication Act of 1996 the government is running out of time to secure the sponsorship from both Senate and the House of Representatives.

Ms. Sombilla told reporters on Tuesday at the NEDA headquarters in Pasig City that the legislature is in recess and there may not be enough time to consolidate the bills and enact them into law.

The absence of import duties on rice to be adopted after the QR regime necessitates the amendment of the Tariffication Act of 1996.

“We still have to signify to WTO that we are not extending the QR.”

As a temporary solution, the government is looking into extending the validity of certain executive orders (EO) which cover the reversal of import duties of concessioned commodities in exchange of the extended use of the QR scheme for rice.

“Just to assure the traders. We have to extend the EO or amend that,” the NEDA off icial added.

Ms. Sombilla was referring to EO 190 and EO 191, both signed by President Benigno S.C. Aquino III.

The Philippines has successfully sought to extended twice the use of the QR — both in 2005 and 2012.

The quantitative restriction is a non-tariff measure that limits the amount of imported commodities.

Rice is the only commodity in the Philippines that enjoys such special treatment, granted to the country through a waiver, upon acceding to the WTO in 1995. —