Philippines loses right to limit agricultural imports, says DA

MANILA, Philippines — With the passage of the rice liberalization law, the Philippines has effectively lost its right to impose restrictions on all imported agricultural products.

Agriculture Undersecretary Segfredo Serrano said the recently signed Republic Act 11203 or the Rice Import Liberalization Law has made the imposition of general safeguard measures useless because it has become the collateral damage in the open market for rice.

“There is a provision there that says all QRs (quantitative restrictions) in all our laws, issuances, all government agencies are hereby repealed. That is the biggest whammy on the agriculture sector. Technically, there will be no more safeguards for imports,” Serrano told reporters.

The Philippines used to have the right to invoke Republic Act 8800 or the right to impose a temporary or a tenured QR to stem prejudice or damage to the industry.

The law was supposed to protect local industries by providing safeguard measures in response to increased imports and provide penalties for any violation.

“And that is no longer available in all agricultural products. We lost more elbow room,” Serrano said.

Plans are now underway to impose a ban on chicken and pork imports.  Restrictions on palm oil will also be set aside.

“What gives teeth to being able to prove the causality between the import surge and price decline to injury to the industry is the ability and flexibility to apply QR on a tenured basis,” he said.

Serrano said the DA has been opposing the provision even before the bill became a law as this is considered as a unilateral disarmament for the agriculture sector.

“We opposed but to no avail, it was already signed by the President so we just need to keep quiet and have the IRR (implementing rules and regulations) fixed to at least ensure that the hit on the sector will be alleviated,” he said.

 “ It is in the law to give more time for the public to make their voices heard and participate. We are still a democracy,” Serrano added.

The IRR of the rice liberalization law have yet to be signed and released, more than a week after the bill’s effectivity.