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MANILA, Philippines — The idea of reducing the tariff on rice from 35 percent to 15 percent did not come from the Department of Economy, Planning and Development (DepDev), an official told a Senate hearing on Wednesday.

Presiding over the hearing of the Senate committee on agriculture, Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan asked DepDev why it was supposedly against reverting the rice tariff to its previous level at 35 percent.

The panel chairman also wanted to know why DepDev would want to keep the reduced tariff until 2018.

“So I’d like to know your justification why you want it maintained at 15 percent? And why until 2028? I don’t understand,” Pangilinan said.

“I can understand you declared a rice emergency. You mean to say, we will have rice emergency until 2028?” he further asked.

But DepDev Undersecretary for Legislative Glenda Rumohr clarified the 15 percento proposal did not come from their office.

“For the body’s information, Mr. chairman, regarding the 15 percent tariff, I think there was a meeting with the President where the Secretary actually suggested between 22 to 25 percent and not really 15 percent,” DepDev Undersecretary for Legislative Glenda Rumohr said.

“So it was not DepDev who recommended 15 percent,” she pointed out.

Who then recommended the tariff reduction to 15 percent? Pangilinan asked.

Rumohr said she was not aware, pointing out the economic team is composed of DepDev, Department of Finance (DOF) and the Department of Budget and Management.

But during discussions of the team, DepDev’s recommendation was to slash the rice duties to 20 percent to 2025, she stressed.

“ I guess during the meeting they came up wit 15 percent,” Rumohr said.

“Well, I don’t like: ‘I guess.’ I wanna know and the people deserve to know,” Pangilinan said.

The senator later directed his queries to the DOF through its representative in the hearing, Assistant Secretary Neil Cabiles, who just repeated Rumohr’s answer.

According to Cabiles, the decision was reached during the discussion of the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) board, chaired by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos.

Source : msn