Executive Order No. 263




MALACAÑAN PALACE MANILA BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE PHILIPPINES [ EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 263, July 08, 2000 ] FACILITATING THE IMPORTATION OF SUGAR WHEREAS, the Administration, in line with its thrust to promote the interest of the poor, aims to ensure adequate food supply at prices affordable to the ordinary Filipino; WHEREAS, for the year 2000, there is an estimated shortage of some 150,000 metric ton (MT) of sugar; WHEREAS, there is need to immediately undertake importation to address the projected shortfall in supply and ensure the stable price of sugar in the domestic market. NOW, THEREFORE I, JOSEPH EJERCITO ESTRADA, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by law, do hereby order the following: Section 1. Importation of Sugar. The government shall hereby facilitate the importation of sugar at sixty five percent (65%) tariff to address the expected shortfall in production of 150,000 MT. The National Food Authority shall immediately import 50,000 MT to partly address the shortage. The rest of the shortage may be addressed through private sector importation. Section 2. Committee on Sugar Conversion/Auction. The Committee on Sugar Conversion/Auction (CSCA), created pursuant to Executive Order No. 87, series of 1999 (Facilitating the Importation of Sugar) is hereby authorized to: (a) prepare and issued the implementing guidelines on the importation of sugar by the private sector; and (b) determine the allocation and use of the fees to be collected from the importation. The CSCA is chaired by the Department of Agriculture (DA), with the following as members: National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Finance (DOF), Sugar Regulatory Authority (SRA), and a representative each from the sugar planters’ group and the sugar millers’ group. The membership of the CSCA is also hereby expanded to include a representative each from the consumers group and the sugar workers group. The three representatives of the sugar industry and the representative of the consumers group shall be appointed by the DA Secretary, upon nomination of the SRA Administrator and the DTI Secretary, respectively. Section 3. Sugar Importation Guidelines. The guidelines shall cover, among others, the following: (a) quantity of sugar that shall be imported per tranche; (b) the amount of fees that shall be collected from the importers; (c) deadline(s) for the sugar importation per tranche; and (d) posting of a performance bond by importers, callable on demand, to ensure the faithful and prompt undertaking of the importation by each importer. All sugar that shall be imported following the guidelines prepared by the Committee shall be classified as “B” (domestic use) sugar. Section 4. Reporting Requirement.1aшphi1 The SRA shall monitor the domestic sugar situation and shall submit through the DA, bi-monthly reports to the President on the matter. Before the end of the year 2000, the CSCA shall report to the President the amount of fees that had been collected from the importation and how such fees had been allocated. Section 5. Repealing Clause. All orders, issuances or parts thereof which are inconsistent with this Executive Order are hereby repealed or modified accordingly. Section 6. Effectivity. This Executive Order shall take effect immediately and shall be effective be until December 31, 2000, unless repealed, modified or amended accordingly. DONE in the City of Manila, Philippines, this 8th day of July in the year of our Lord, Two Thousand. (Sgd.) JOSEPH EJERCITO ESTRADA By the President: RONALDO B. ZAMORA Executive Secretary The Lawphil Project - Arellano Law Foundation