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MALACAÑAN PALACE
MANILA

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE PHILIPPINES

[ EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 166, January 10, 2003 ]

MODIFYING THE RATES OF IMPORT DUTY OF CERTAIN ARTICLES UNDER THE TARIFF AND CUSTOMS CODE OF 1978 (PRESIDENTIAL DECREE NO. 1464, AS AMENDED), IN ORDER TO IMPLEMENT THE ASEAN INTEGRATION SYSTEM OF PREFERENCES (AISP) PACKAGE OF THE PHILIPPINES

WHEREAS, at the 4th ASEAN Informal Summit held in Singapore in November 2000, the ASEAN Heads of Government/State agreed on the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI) with objectives to narrow the development gap between the older and newer members of ASEAN, and to enhance the new members integration with the rest of the ASEAN;

WHEREAS, to implement the decision of the ASEAN Heads of Government/State, the ASEAN Economic Ministers (AEM), in its meeting in Siemreap, Cambodia on 3-5 May 2001, decided to implement the ASEAN GSP Scheme (now AISP) on a bilateral basis;

WHEREAS, the preference is a unilateral offer made by preference-giving countries (Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand) to the preference receiving countries (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam);

WHEREAS, Section 402 of the Tariff and Customs' Code of 1978, as amended, empowers the President, upon the recommendation of the National Economic and Development Authority, to increase, reduce or remove existing protective rates of import duty, as well as to modify the form of duty.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by law, do hereby order:

Section 1. The articles specifically listed in "Annex A" (Articles Granted Concession under the ASEAN Integration System of Preferences (AISP) Package of the Philippines) hereof, as classified under Section 104 of the Tariff and Customs Code of 1978, as amended, shall be subject to the AISP rate of duty indicated in Column 4 of "Annex A" when imported from Myanmar or Vietnam (preference receiving countries) indicated in Column 5 of "Annex A".

Section 2. In the event that any subsequent changes are made in the basic (MFN) Philippine rate of duty on any of the articles listed in “Annex A” to a rate lower than the rate prescribed in Column 4 of “Annex A”, such article shall automatically be accorded the corresponding reduced duty.

Section 3. From the date of effectivity of this Order, all articles listed in "Annex A" entered into or withdrawn from warehouses in the Philippines for consumption shall be imposed the rates of duty therein prescribed subject to qualification under the Rules of Origin of forty percent (40%) single country content (Myanmar or Vietnam) as provided for in the Agreement on the CEPT Scheme for the AFTA signed on 28 January 1992.

Section 4. All presidential issuances, administrative rules and regulations, or parts thereof, which are contrary or inconsistent with this Executive Order are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.ᇈWᑭHIL

Section 5. This Executive Order shall take effect immediately following its complete publication in two (2) newspapers of general circulation in the Philippines.

Done in the City of Manila, this 10th day of January in the year of our Lord, Two Thousand and Three.

(Sgd.) GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO

By the President:

(Sgd.) ALBERTO G. ROMULO
Executive Secretary

The Lawphil Project - Arellano Law Foundation

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