Review tax perks of palm oil importers, DA told By Andrea E. San Juan
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NDUSTRY groups have asked President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to revisit the Department of Agriculture’s policy on granting tax and duty-free privilege to importers of palm oil used for animal feeds compounding, following the rampant cases of technical smuggling. Jesus L. Arranza, Chairman of the Federation of Philippine Industries (FPI) and president of the Coconut Oil Refiners Association (CORA), made the appeal in a follow-up letter to the President, who concurrently heads the Agriculture department. In the follow-up letter, Arranza noted their intention to work with
Agriculture Undersecretary Domingo F. Panganiban in putting a stop to the illegal use of imported palm oil by some “unscrupulous traders.” “The DA should also revisit this policy of allowing zero [value-added tax] VAT and duty-free importations of palm olein as this is clearly hurting the local coconut and palm oil farmers and producers,” Arranza said in his letter to the President. “There should be strict validation relative to such reason given by importers and effective monitoring on where these importations are actually utilized,” he added. In a previous letter, Arranza informed Marcos that he got hold
of documents that may aid the government in going after traders who managed to get duty- and tax-free privilege from the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) but used their importation for purposes other than compounding of animal feeds. In a statement released on Tuesday, FPI said the imported palm oil reportedly ended up in the market as cooking oil, or was channeled to biodiesel producers as substitute to the more expensive coconut oil. Arranza added that he and other industry leaders are ready to help the DA in launching an investigation. In reaction to the letter, FPI said the Office of the President “promptly” directed Panganiban
to act on the matter. Weeks later, Arranza said he received a letter from the DA updating him on “alleged selling of imported animal grade palm consumption in the country.” It appears, A rranza noted, that the DA failed to fully grasp the situation, particularly since there is no “animal grade” palm olein, and this is probably because the office of Panganiban “did not bother” to coordinate with him and other industry players to get the necessary inputs. “The undersigned appreciates the update provided by USec. Panganiban. We understand that this is merely a preliminary update but See “DA,” A2
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Wednesday, April 19, 2023 Vol. 18 No. 184
P25.00 nationwide | 2 sections 28 pages | 7 DAYS A WEEK
WATER-SUPPLY INFRA, CONSERVATION EFFORTS PRIORITY
Govt preps for worst-case El Niño
MASUNGI’S BEAUTY Senator Nancy Binay, chairperson of the Senate Committees on Tourism, Cultural Communities, and Social Justice, Welfare and Rural Development, is seen during an ocular inspection and a tour of the Masungi Georeserve, a conservation area situated in the southern Sierra Madre Range in Baras, Rizal, characterized by rugged limestone karst peaks, steep slopes and surrounding lush rainforests. Binay, amazed at the beauty of the area, admitted that it is regrettable if the Bureau of Corrections continues with its plan to construct a prison in the area. ROY DOMINGO By Samuel P. Medenilla
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@sam_medenilla
HE government is now bracing for the possible worst impact of El Niño, which is expected to hit the country by the last quarter of the year, by prioritizing the construction of water supply infrastructure in highrisk areas and initiating early water and power conservation efforts. On Tuesday, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. met with officials of the Office of Civil Defense, Nat iona l Ir r igat ion Authority (NI A), Department
o f S c i e n c e a n d Te c h n o l o g y (DOST) and its attached agency t he Ph i l ippi ne At mospher ic, See “El Niño,” A2
DEL ROSARIO, PHL SFA DURING HAGUE TRIBUNAL CASE VS. CHINA, DIES By Malou Talosig-Bartolome
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ORMER Foreign Affairs Secretar y A lbert Del Rosario, who steered the Philippines in securing a landmark maritime legal victory in the South China Sea, has passed away. He was 83. The business group Mana g e m e nt A s s o c i at i o n o f the Philippines (MAP) announced his passing on Tuesday, April 18. Del Rosario had been a member of the business
group for 45 years before he became a diplomat. The DFA said Del Rosario died while en route to San Francisco. “I extend my deepest condolences to the loved ones of Secretary Albert del Rosario. He was a consummate diplomat and an inspiring leader who led the DFA with integrity and unwavering commitment to public service. You will be See “SFA,” A2
No swimming ban in Puerto despite poor water quality
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O, Tou r ism Sec ret a r y Christina Garcia Frasco hasn’t broken out in blisters or rashes despite scuba diving recently in Puerto Galera, where some of its waters have been reported of poor quality by other government agencies. In response to a reporter’s question about possible complaints from tourists of skin and respiratory infections after swimming in the popular tourism site, Frasco said, “The Department of Tourism [DOT] is not in possession of any data regarding any such information considering that is not in our primary mandate. Nevertheless, I dove there at Lalaguna, one of the
most beautiful dive sites in Puerto Galera, and I’m still okay.” There have been concerns that the oil spill due to the recent sinking of oil tanker MT Princess Empress off the coast of Oriental Mindoro last February 28, had already reached Puerto Galera. Frasco told a news briefing in Malacañang that despite the joint findings of the Department of Health (DOH) and Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), “No swimming ban has been indicated, only that the concerns have been expressed on the ingestion of water, and See “Swimming ban,” A2
PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 55.5890 n JAPAN 0.4135 n UK 68.8247 n HK 7.0825 n CHINA 8.0778 n SINGAPORE 41.6647 n AUSTRALIA 37.2557 n EU 60.7532 n KOREA 0.0422 n SAUDI ARABIA 14.8309 Source:
BSP (18 April 2023)