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Metro cuts curfew hours, eases more restrictions

METRO Manila mayors have agreed to reduce curfew hours from midnight to 4 a.m. amid a coronavirus pandemic, and may shorten these further during the holiday season.

The shorter curfew would start this week after the cities change their ordinances, Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) General Manager Jose Arturo S. Garcia, Jr. told an online news briefing on Monday.

Most cities in the capital region, which is made up of 16 cities and one municipality, had imposed a 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew.

The mayors adopted the shorter curfew during a meeting of the Metro Manila Council on Sunday, Mr. Garcia said.

All the cities will adopt the new curfew hours except for Navotas, which is enforcing a curfew of 8 p.m. to 5 a.m., he added.

The curfew may be cut further to three hours from midnight to 3 a.m. in December as the predominantly Catholic nation prepares for night masses, Mr. Garcia said.

Mayors also raised the attendance limit in face-to-face religious services to 30% of capacity from 10%. Metro Manila has been under a general lockdown for more than two months now.

The capital region will also allow people 18 to 65 years old to go outside their homes. Before this, only those aged 21 to 60 years were allowed to leave their homes, although this had not been strictly enforced.

Allowing more people to go outside was meant to boost the economy as more sectors are reopened, Mr. Garcia said.

The Department of Health (DoH) reported 2,638 coronavirus infections on Monday, bringing the total to 359,169.

The death toll rose by 26 to 6,675, while recoveries increased by 226 to 310,303, it said in a bulletin.

There were 42,191 active cases, 83.1% of which were mild, 11.3% did not show symptoms, 2.1% were severe and 3.6% were critical.

Quezon City reported the highest number of new cases with 141, followed by Cavite with 140, Laguna with 128, Batangas with 120 and Rizal with 108.

Of the new deaths, six came from Metro Manila, four from Soccsksargen, three from Zamboanga Peninsula, and two each from Western Visayas, Eastern Visayas and the Calabarzon region.

The Ilocos region, Central Luzon, Northern Mindanao, Davao region, Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) and Cordillera Administrative Region reported one death each, DoH said.

The death rate was at 1.86%, lower than the global rate of 2.77%, while the infection rate was at 9.87%, higher than the World Health Organization (WHO) benchmark of less than 5%.

The virus reproduction number in the Philippines was at 0.935 as of Oct. 4, meaning one person can infect one more person. It takes 12.35 days to double cases and 17.47 days to double deaths, the agency said.

More than 4.1 million people have been tested for the coronavirus, it added.

Also on Monday, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario S. Vergeire said the agency was P10.5 billion short of funds for coronavirus vaccines to cover a fifth of the Philippines’ more than 100 million population.

DoH needs more than P12 billion to inoculate priority groups including health workers and the poor, told an online news briefing.

It only has allotted P2.5 billion for vaccines in its budget for next year, she added. The Department of Health (DoH) will get a P204-billion budget next year.

The cost considered two doses for each person, Ms. Vergeire said.

The Philippines has funds to buy coronavirus vaccines but it needs more so the entire population of more than 100 million could be inoculated, President Rodrigo R. Duterte said last week.

He said he would look for more funds so all Filipinos could be vaccinated. The President said he was okay with vaccines developed either by Russia or China.

Marikina Rep. Stella Luz A. Quimbo at the weekend said vaccinating 20 million Filipinos would cost almost P13 billion. She added that the proposed budget was only enough to cover 3.9 million Filipinos at a testing price of P641 each.

Some lawmakers have said intelligence funds of the Executive branch should be channelled to the health sector. — Gillian M. Cortez and Vann Marlo M. Villegas

Duterte faulted for failing to disclose worth

PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte has yet to disclose his net worth despite his vow of transparency, according to the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ).

In a report published on its website on Sunday, PCIJ said its requests for the President’s wealth records had been tossed back and forth between the Office of the Ombudsman and Office of the President.

“President Duterte is breaking a long tradition of presidents making their annual wealth disclosures public year after year, often even without a formal request from the press or the public to do so,” according to the report.

“When President Duterte took office, he promised a more transparent government, but that has not happened,” it added.

Since the law requiring public officials to disclose their net worth was enacted in 1989, all five presidents before Mr. Duterte had disclosed their worth  year on year without fail, PCIJ said.

Government officials were supposed to have filed their statement of assets, liabilities and net worth for last year on April 30. The deadline was extended to June 30 amid a coronavirus pandemic.

Mr. Duterte will follow the new rules set by the Ombudsman on the disclosure of net worth, his spokesman Harry L. Roque told an online news briefing on Monday.

“We leave that to the Office of the Ombudsman, which is a constitutional body tasked with the implementation of our laws relating to public officers,” he said.

Under a memo issued by the Ombudsman in September, an official’s net worth report can only be released to his authorized representative or upon a court order related to a case. Ombudsman field investigators may also request copies of the statements.

The Ombudsman order also excludes journalists from obtaining copies of the statements.

Ombudsman Samuel R. Martires earlier told a House budget hearing he had stopped conducting lifestyle checks given vague standards in the country’s Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.

Mr. Martires is a two-time appointee of Mr. Duterte. He was first appointed Supreme Court Justice in 2017 and as Ombudsman in 2018. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza and Gillian M. Cortez

Nationwide round-up (10/19/20)

Anti-terrorism law’s IRR gives AMLC power to quickly freeze assets of government-identified individuals, groups

AUTHORITIES WILL now be able to quickly freeze the assets of individuals and entities designated by the government as terrorists, according to Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) Executive Director Mel Georgie B. Racela.

Under the newly-released implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of Republic Act No. 11479 or the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020, individuals and groups will be designated as terrorists  by the Anti-Terrorism Council (ATC) based on probable cause found.

“For reasons of public safety and security, it is imperative that said funds and other assets be frozen within hours of designation, which is a requirement of the UNSCR (United Nations Security Council Resolution) 1373,” Mr. Racela said in a text message to BusinessWorld.

“A hearing would defeat this purpose as it would give designated persons or entities the opportunity to conceal said funds and other assets,” he added.

Prior to the anti-terrorism law, the government can only freeze assets of groups designated by the UNSC and other foreign jurisdictions, Mr. Racela said.

Among the internationally-designated terrorist groups are the Abu Sayyaf and the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA).

“That is why we were non-compliant with international standards before as stated in our Mutual Evaluation Report of 2019,” Mr. Racela explained.

He said the IRR provision relating to designation will “not only prevent transfer of funds but more importantly prevent the funds from being used to facilitate terrorism.”

The country is currently under close watch of the Financial Action Task Force for addressing leniencies in counter-terrorism financing and anti-money laundering schemes.

The IRR allows the ATC to publish the list of designated persons in its official Web site, newspapers, and on the online official gazette. The ATC will also have a mechanism to immediately convey information related to the designated individuals or groups to the public, financial sector, and non-financial businesses and professions.

Designated parties have 15 days from the time of publication for a request for delisting on grounds of mistaken identity, relevant change of facts and circumstance, newly discovered evidence, death of a designated person, dissolution or liquidation of designated organizations and other circumstances which show the basis for designation no longer exist.

“The process is based on reasonable grounds, but it does not involve imprisonment or permanent taking of properties and other assets at the time of designation and subsequent publication. Designated persons or entities still retain ownership of assets under sanctions freeze,” Mr. Racela said.

National Union of People’s Lawyer President Edre U. Olalia, on the other hand, expressed concern that the designation process is being handled by a non-judicial body.

“The composition [of the ATC] is objectionable, their independence and objectivity does not inspire confidence because most of them are handpicked appointments of the President [Rodrigo R. Duterte],” he said in a phone interview.

More than 30 petitions against the anti-terrorism law have been filed and currently pending before the Supreme Court. — Luz Wendy T. Noble

Over 800,000 informal workers seen to benefit from employment program

MORE THAN 800,000 informal workers are expected to benefit from a government emergency employment program implemented by the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE).

DoLE-Bureau of Workers with Special Concerns Director Karen Perida-Trayvilla said they are expecting around P6 billion out of the P13 billion allocated to the department under Republic Act No. 11494 or the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act for coronavirus response measures.

“We have proposed P6 billion which will help 863,667 beneficiaries,” she said in a virtual press conference on Monday.

With the fund, the employment period for beneficiaries of the TUPAD (Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers) program has been extended to 15-17 days from 10.

Payment is based on the regional daily minimum wage. — Gillian M. Cortez   

House ready to transmit 2021 budget without changes on controversial items

THE HOUSE of Representatives is ready to transmit the proposed P4.5-trillion 2021 national budget to the Senate without adjustments in controversial items.

Albay Rep. Jose Maria Clemente S. Salceda, appropriations committee senior vice-chair and chair of the ways and means committee, said in an online briefing that only “institutional amendments and departmental errata” were made during the first and only meeting of the small committee tasked to realign funds.

Other concerns raised earlier such as the P11.1 billion infrastructure fund supposedly allocated to the congressional districts of former Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano and his wife, Taguig 2nd District Rep. Lani L. Cayetano, will only be discussed during the bicameral session, which is expected to begin next month.

Speaker Lord Alan Q. Velasco on Monday assured that the 2021 General Appropriations Bill will be transmitted to the Senate not later than Oct. 28.

Mr. Salceda said they only tackled around P20 billion worth of appropriations coming from different agencies, which included a P3.5 billion increase for the procurement of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines.

Marikina Rep. Stellla Luz Quimbo recently said that the original allocation of P2.5 billion for COVID-19 vaccines is not enough to cover around 20 million Filipinos next year.

She said the procurement of vaccines would require a total budget of P12.8 billion. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

Regional Updates (10/19/20)

Typhoon Pepito expected to intensify before landfall in north-central Luzon area

TROPICAL DEPRESSION Pepito is seen to intensify into a tropical storm category before making landfall in the eastern coast of the northern-central Luzon area by Tuesday evening of Wednesday, according to weather bureau PAGASA. In its 5 p.m. advisory on Monday, PAGASA said light to heavy rains are expected over Quezon, Bicol Region, Eastern and Central Visayas, and Mindanao. Flooding and landslides “may occur during heavy or prolonged rainfall especially in areas that are highly or very highly susceptible to these hazards,” the weather bureau warned. Typhoon signal #1 was up in several Luzon provinces. Based on the track forecast, Pepito is expected to be located 125 kilometers east of Casigura, Aurora by Tuesday afternoon.

Makati donates firearms, other equipment to police

THE MAKATI City government recently donated over P93.4 million worth of firearms, protective gear, and other equipment to the police. “We continue to give priority to the modernization of the local police force’s equipment. We know how crucial it is to enhance their crime-fighting capability especially during the pandemic, for the sake of our residents and all other stakeholders,” Mayor Abigail Binay-Campos said in a statement on Monday. “We have to maintain discipline and obedience to the law as we gradually reopen businesses and strive to promote a healthy business environment for faster economic recovery,” she said.

Camiguin launches online market for Lanzones Festival celebration

CAMIGUIN is celebrating the 41st Lanzones Festival this week through digital events, including an online market where buyers from around the country can order the island province’s food and non-food products. The Ugmad Online 2020 — ugmad is the local term for farming or cultivation — will feature the goods of 40 micro, small, and medium enterprises, and fresh lanzones traders through the festival’s official Facebook page (facebook/lanzonesfestival). Payments can be made through various platforms including GCash, PayMaya, ML Wallet, Land Bank of the Philippines, Philippine National Bank, or Union Bank, according to the Department of Trade and Industry. Delivery will be through J&T Express. A live selling event will be held on October 24, with games and prizes for buyers. Despite the ongoing coronavirus crisis, “The tradition of thanksgiving for the bountiful harvest of lanzones lives on,” the provincial government said.

Duque backs transfer of PhilHealth chairmanship to Finance chief

HEALTH SECRETARY Francisco T. Duque III supports the proposed bill that will transfer the job of Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) chair to the Department of Finance chief.

Mr. Duque, speaking on Monday before the Senate committee on health and demography tackling the bill that will amend the Universal Health Care (UHC) Act, said he has missed the PhilHealth board’s meeting for four months due to the demands of his role as head of the national task force handling the government’s coronavirus pandemic response.

“For this year 2020, I was not able to attend board meetings of PhilHealth for about close to four months, on account of my having been designated as chairperson of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) of Emerging Infectious Diseases,” Mr. Duque said at the online hearing.

“My chairmanship of the IATF has been and continues to be very demanding. We meet two to three times a week, each meeting lasts about 10-12 hours,” he added.

The Health secretary said Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III is fit for the task of ensuring efficient fund management of the state insurer.

Senate Bill No. 1829, which amends the Universal Health Care Act under Republic Act No. 11223, was filed as part of the Senate’ recommendations from its investigations on the alleged widespread corruption in PhilHealth.

Apart from changing the PhilHealth chairman of the board, the bill also requires attendance in all board actions.

Under the current law, the PhilHealth chair can be represented by an alternate.

Mr. Dominguez, for his part, said he will accept the position despite his “overwhelming” task as finance chief, who is a member of “about a hundred” boards and committees.

“We have no choice but to implement it, I do not seek this position, but I take policies and the law very seriously, rest assured that I will do my best in implementing the UHC,” he told the panel.

“It would be very difficult to reallocate my time, but I will ask probably to be excused from some other less pressing assignments,” he said.

Implementation of the UHC, which automatically makes all Filipinos PhilHealth members, started this year. — Charmaine A. Tadalan

DTI weighing requests to raise prices on ‘noche buena’ items

THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said it is currently evaluating applications from food companies to increase the prices of items normally served for the Christmas feast, known in the Philippines as noche buena.

Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez said at a briefing Monday that applications to raise prices range from less than 1% to 3%. Noche buena items include spaghetti, ham, and cheese.

The DTI’s consumer protection group is studying the applications to determine whether the increases are reasonable, he said. If the increases are not considered reasonable, the applicants may be granted a smaller increase.

“Every year there are brands that request for price adjustments to cover increases in costs,” he said. “Out of over 20 brands, usually there are just about five brands that are requesting price increases.”

He advises consumers to select “value for money” products, noting that canned goods companies are also requesting price adjustments.

“Not all those requested are approved under the SRP (suggested retail price) system, especially if they are basic necessities and prime commodities,” he said.

Last month, Mr. Lopez said that prices of goods are expected to remain stable during the Christmas season as consumer demand remains weak.

The DTI is also waiting for a health department ruling on a potential price cap on COVID-19 swab tests, which Mr. Lopez said the department supports and can help implement.

Quantity limits for purchasing disinfecting alcohol and liquids, hand sanitizers, and face masks have been lifted. — Jenina P. Ibañez

Staggered work hours seen to ease burden on public transport

THE Trade department has asked companies to adopt staggered work hours in order to decongest the still-limited public transportation system during the quarantine.

Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez in a briefing Monday said that the department will release a circular directing companies to allow employees to report for work at various times to reduce the strain on public transportation during rush hour.

He added that the economy is being reopened under the current general community quarantine (GCQ) and does not necessarily need a more relaxed form of GCQ, known as modified GCQ (MGCQ) in order to restore activity.

Capacity of some businesses, like dine-in restaurants, has been increased in areas under GCQ. Travel agencies and tour operators can also resume operations at 50% capacity in GCQ areas.

The government has approved a proposal to allow mall-wide sales in GCQ and MGCQ areas.

Some entertainment businesses remain shut under GCQ, such as movie theaters and live events. Drive-in cinemas may operate. — Jenina P. Ibañez

Housing backlog to ease with new law vs red tape

PHILSTAR/BOY SANTOS

THE MEASURE granting the President the power to reduce red tape during emergencies such as the pandemic will help address the backlog in socialized housing, a legislator said.

“It’s time to take bolder steps in streamlining transactions in the housing sector,” Northern Samar Representative Paul R. Daza said at an event organized by the Anti-Red Tape Authority Monday.

Mr. Daza said the estimated housing backlog of 6.57 million units will be difficult to clear with no streamlining of the permit process.

He noted that it takes about 27 agencies, 78 permits, 146 signatures, and 373 documents to start a socialized housing project.

“My hope is that we can streamline transactions in the sector hopefully leading to only three months and not more than six months of processing,” he said.

Mr. Daza, who expressed support for the proposed budget of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development during plenary deliberations at the House, said the lack of government spending for the housing sector also affects the economy.

“In a healthy economy, the housing sector should roughly be 20% of domestic growth. In the Philippines, the contribution was roughly 11% in 2018,” Mr. Daza said, noting that the government allocated only 0.78% of the national budget to the housing sector over the past 12 years.

“While DPWH is allocated P667 billion, which is equivalent to 14.8% of the 2021 national budget — the housing sector is allocated P3.98 billion only,” he said.

Mr. Daza said decent housing is correlated with “better health, peace and order, and higher productivity.”

“The belief that housing comes after development must change; instead, we need to think of housing as a precursor to development,” he said, citing Singapore, which has an extensive system of public housing.

“In Singapore, socialized housing is at the bedrock of the economy. Singapore responded to their housing requirements by building ‘in-city’ and affordable mass housing, enabling families to spend more time for work and recreation because their homes are within close proximity of work and schools,” he said.

House Bill No. 7884, which amends the Anti-Red Tape Act of 2007, was passed by the House Friday after it had been certified as urgent by President Rodrigo R. Duterte.

The measure empowers the President to streamline the requirements for national and local permits, certifications, and licenses. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

Rice industry ‘resilient,’ posts productivity gains

THE rice industry increased its productivity during the pandemic, according to non-government organization Action for Economic Reforms (AER).

In its recent report, “The Rice Industry under the COVID Weather,” AER described the performance of the rice industry during the first and second quarters as “tempered growth.”

“Many industries have been negatively affected by the global health crisis but the rice industry has proven to be somewhat resilient,” AER said.

Citing data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, AER said production of palay, or unmilled rice, rose 7.1% to 4.13 million metric tons (MT) during the second quarter, the height of COVID-related quarantine measures.

AER added that rice production and yields rose even after less land was planted to the staple.

“The average productivity of 4.32 MT per hectare represents a 2.5% increase over the same period of the previous year. However, this is still a long way from the target of at least six MT per hectare,” AER said.

Meanwhile, AER said that good weather and better government support for the sector were behind the industry’s positive performance, but added that not all rice farmers have received aid.

“Some farmers who have yet to receive government support or have received support but after much delay, insist that this positive performance of the rice sector is simply due to good weather,” AER said.

“They concede that there was indeed growth, but negative sentiment prevails among those adversely affected by declining farmgate prices,” it added.

AER said it expects that interventions to resolve problems encountered by domestic producers will be implemented over the short and medium terms such as increased palay procurement by the National Food Authority and local government units, and direct cash transfers to small rice farmers.

“Lowered costs and improved productivity mean more competitive local farmers, which should redound to increased incomes. This can be achieved by diligently and expediently implementing the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF). Further, it must be complemented by other non-RCEF agriculture support interventions and institutional reform measures,” AER said.

It said cutting production costs and increasing productivity are the long-term goal. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave

Auto parts workers seek aid package amid industry slowdown

assembly line (car/auto)

WORKERS from the auto parts industry have asked the government to allocate part of the auto incentives program budget to fund social amelioration initiatives for displaced workers, and opposed the industry’s request for an extension to comply with the program.

Toyota Motors Philippines and Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corp. members of the government’s Comprehensive Automotive Resurgence Strategy (CARS) program, which offers fiscal support to car companies that domestically produce 200,000 cars for six years.

The automakers have initiated talks with the government to request an extension of their compliance period after the pandemic and the Taal volcano eruption caused a sales and production slowdown.

The Philippine Metalworkers Alliance (PMA) opposed the extension, claiming in a statement Monday that relief for the automakers would incentivize them to lay off workers and rely on imports rather than expand domestic production.

“While the economy is currently in a crisis, this alone should not be the basis for granting reprieve to companies under the CARS program,” PMA President Ruel Punzalan said.

“Unless the government wants to subsidize job losses especially under the current economic crisis, then there is no point giving in to the pressure from corporate interests to extend the grace period under the CARS program,” the statement said.

The group said that while there was a sales decline during the stricter lockdown, there have been signs of automotive recovery due to an uptick in transport equipment sales.

“To start repairing the injustice, allocating a portion of the budget for the CARS Program to provide social amelioration to those already displaced would be a good start,” Mr. Punzalan said.

Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez in a briefing Monday said that the job losses are connected to the recent industry decline.

He said that the social amelioration program can be proposed to the government and discussed, adding that the economy is being reopened to help increase car demand among the program’s participants.

PMA in August wrote letters to the Labor and Trade departments, asking them to strengthen the automotive supply chain and continue an investigation into potential safeguard measures on imported vehicles.

Last year, the group filed an application to the Trade department to initiate a safeguard measures probe, saying that there is a link between a surge in imports and a decline in domestic employment.

BusinessWorld asked the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines, Inc. for comment but it had not replied at deadline time. — Jenina P. Ibañez

Lending firms warned against accessing delinquent borrowers’ phone, e-mail contacts

LENDING COMPANIES have been warned about possible privacy violations when they use an app to access a client’s contacts list to spread negative news about delinquent payments, the National Privacy Commission (NPC) said.

The NPC said that last year it received an unprecedented number of complaints about lending companies that accessed contact lists to tell family and friends of borrowers falling behind on payments.

“The online lending entities utilize the contact list from the borrowers’ mobile phones and disclose their unpaid debts to their family, relatives, friends and co-workers,” the NPC said in a statement Monday.

Under NPC’s Circular No. 20-01 signed on Oct. 14, lending and financing companies that have access to borrowers’ contact lists must dispose of the data securely.

The organizations are also banned from requiring permission to access personal information, including copying phone, e-mail and social media contacts.

“In all instances, online lending apps must have a separate interface where borrowers can provide character references and/or co-makers of their own choosing,” according to the circular.

Data permissions will only be allowed when necessary to determine creditworthiness and prevent fraud, and the online apps must prompt the data subject to turn off permissions once these objectives have been met.

The circular also required that personal data must be stored securely; that loan details be written in clear language; and that borrowers must be informed when loan processing activity involves automated processing and credit scoring. The institutions must also implement policies on retaining data for borrowers whose loan applications were denied or have fully settled their loans.

Violators may be fined or imprisoned under the Data Privacy Act.

“We remind online lending operators and businesses to take their customers’ data privacy seriously and deploy adequate security measures,” Privacy Commissioner Raymund E. Liboro said.

“For the public, we hope this circular will help them keep an eye out for red flags while they are in the process of borrowing money from online lenders.” — Jenina P. Ibañez

Senate calls for rice, corn import curbs to prevent harvest season oversupply

NFA rice imports
REUTERS

SENATORS asked the Department of Agriculture (DA) to limit imports of staple foods during harvest season to address weak farmgate prices.

The DA was asked to set a staggered schedule for importing rice and corn and that will not overlap with the harvest season. A legislator also urged that poultry products be imported with an eye towards the state of domestic supply.

“Gumawa ng schedule na kapag tatamaan ‘yung pagdating ng importation sa harvest time, ‘wag na ibigay ‘yun (permit) para wala tayong problema” with regard to farmgate prices, Senator Cynthia A. Villar said at an online hearing Monday.

Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar replied that the scheduling proposal should be made into a resolution by the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food.

Ms. Villar was presiding over the hearing on the DA’s 2021 budget, which is worth P66.4 billion. The scheduling proposal was supported by Senators Juan Miguel F. Zubiri, Francis N. Pangilinan and Risa N. Hontiveros-Baraquel.

Senator Maria Imelda Josefa R. Marcos added that poultry products be imported to consider the domestic supply situation.

“Importation of basic commodities should at the very least be scheduled and staggered according to need,” she said.

“With regard to rice and corn, the BPI (Bureau of Plant Industry) is enjoined not to import during or immediately before the harvest seasons, particularly the main harvest season in September and October.” 

The Bureau of Animal Industry was asked to monitor the excess supply of chicken and also prohibit imports of poultry products when domestic supply is high.

Ms. Marcos said the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources should also look into excessive imports of fish and possible smuggling at the Navotas fish port and elsewhere.

At the same hearing, Ms. Villar said the Rice Tariffication Law, or Republic Act No. 11203, will remain in place amid calls for its amendment.

The law, which lifted restrictions on rice imports, is part of the Philippines commitment to the World Trade Organization (WTO), she said.

“Meron tayong commitment sa WTO (We have a commitment to the WTO) that we will open up imports of rice with tariff and that has been postponed for a very long time, kaya ngayon, hindi na pwedeng i-postpone (and can no longer be put off),” she said. — Charmaine A. Tadalan

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