TALKS ON DRAFT GUIDELINES ON MAV ALLOCATIONS HALTED

“It is premature to talk about guidelines without any Executive Order issued or approval of the MAV plus. Our position is that let’s talk about it if there is already an approved MAV plus,” Agricultural sector Alliance of the Philippines (AGAP) President Nicanor Briones told the Businessmirror.

“Bakit mauuna ang karitela kaysa sa kabayo? Hindi pa nangyayari na nauuna halimbawa ang IRR kaysa sa mismong batas,” Briones, who was present during the meeting, added. (Why should the cart come before the horse? It never happens that an IRR is being crafted ahead of passage of a law).

The Businessmirror learned that the five people who voted to suspend the talks on the draft guidelines were representatives from other MAV products sector, hog raisers sector, grains sector, consumer sector, and feed milling sector.

“It is really premature to talk about the guidelines without the EO,” Raul Q. Montemayor, who represented the grains sector in the said MAV-AC meeting, told the Businessmirror.

The two MAV-AC members that voted in favor of discussing the draft guidelines were the representatives of the importers or traders and the poultry sector.

Based on the draft, the MAV Plus would be allocated to the sector/group members in the same manner as the regular MAV’S beginning year pool and mid-year pool, which is through the Systematic Distribution Procedure (SDP).

“Any balance remaining in the MAV Plus volumes after the SDP has been conducted shall be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis to any interested applicant in accordance with Section I.F[7] of the AO1 series of 1998,” the document read.

Under the draft guidelines,“existing MAV licensees who have utilized at least 75 percent of their existing MAV allocation for pork shall be eligible to avail of the additional MAV.”

Likewise, the hog and pork producing sector, as well as non-mav licensees shall be “subject to the same requirement” for “subsequent availment of allocation,” the document read.

The eligibility requirements stipulated by the guidelines include: 1) DTI or SEC registration with Certificate of Good standing from SEC for corporations; 2) business permit; and 3) accreditation certificate from the National Meat Inspection Service.