Sotto to meet with Dominguez over Senate's ‘new proposal’ over pork imports
May 05, 2021 08:44 PM
Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III said he will soon announce the Senate's compromise regarding the conflicts over imported pork products.
“As soon as I have a word from [Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III], I’ll announce."
Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III told reporters that the Senate has presented a new proposal to the government reconciling the President's measure and the chamber's suggested adjustments over the importation policy on pork products.
Sotto, however, has not disclosed additional details regarding the Senate's proposal.
“As soon as I have a word from [Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III], I’ll announce,” he said on Tuesday.
According to Sotto, the Senate has “just agreed to a new proposal", which he has yet to present to Dominguez.
He and Dominguez are expected to meet soon to finalize an agreement regarding President Duterte's Executive Order 128 (EO 128) which lowers tariffs from 30-40% to 5-20% while raising the minimum access volume (MAV) for pork to 350,000 MT.
Sotto, along with other senators, and local hog raisers have expressed their disappointment over EO 128 since it poses a threat to the local hog industry.
The Senate chief confirmed talks with Dominguez after Senator Cynthia Villar suggested to compromise on the new policy instead of publicly criticizing the EO.
Sotto and Dominguez will settle on rates and the MAV that is fair for all stakeholders.
The Senate's decision to present a compromise to the government was reached after two hearings of the Senate Committee of the Whole, headed by Sotto, discussed not only the President's EO, but also the alleged corruption at the Department of Agriculture.
