Solicitor Normal Menardo Guevarra —Inquirer file photograph/Marianne Bermudez
MANILA, Philippines — The Supreme Court docket en banc has ordered President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and three different authorities officers to answer the petition for certiorari filed final week by farmers’ teams in search of to cease the implementation of an govt order (EO) decreasing the tariff on rice and different agricultural merchandise to fifteen p.c from 35 p.c.
“The Court docket, with out giving due course to the petition and prayer for a [temporary restraining order, or TRO], required the respondents to file their feedback inside a nonextendible interval of 10 days,” Supreme Court docket spokesperson Camille Ting stated at a press briefing on Wednesday.
READ: Supreme Court docket requested to nullify EO 62 reducing tariffs on agri merchandise
Reacting to the excessive tribunal’s decision, Solicitor Normal Menardo Guevarra stated that within the absence of a TRO, Government Order No. 62 would proceed to be applied.
Except for President Marcos, the respondents within the case are Government Secretary Lucas Bersamin, Nationwide Financial and Improvement Authority (Neda) Secretary Arsenio Balisacan, and Tariff Fee Chair Marilou Mendoza.
Petitioners’ concern
Marcos issued EO 62 on June 20 decreasing the tariff on rice and different merchandise from 35 p.c to fifteen p.c—a transfer that raised concern amongst farmers and agricultural teams that customers would possibly go for cheaper imported rice over native produce.
“The implementation of an up to date complete tariff schedule goals to reinforce provide, handle costs, and mood inflationary strain of varied commodities, in line with the Philippine nationwide curiosity and the target of safeguarding the buying energy of Filipinos,” the President stated in his order.
Evaluate ongoing
In line with Guevarra, the federal government already obtained a duplicate of the petition filed by the Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura Inc., Federation of Free Farmers Inc., United Broiler Raisers Affiliation Inc., Sorosoro Ibaba Improvement Cooperative, and lawyer Argel Joseph Cabatbat of Magsasaka Partylist on June 4.
Nevertheless, his workplace has but to get a duplicate of the Supreme Court docket decision requiring the federal government to touch upon the case.
“Be that as it might, the [Office of the Solicitor General] is presently finding out the authorized points concerned,” Guevarra advised reporters in a Viber message.
“We have no idea whether or not the SC will challenge a TRO or not within the days to return. I suppose the SC justices are additionally presently evaluating whether or not any injunctive aid is important. So far as the federal government is anxious, nonetheless, the EO will probably be applied until quickly restrained by the SC,” he stated.
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Of their 27-page petition, the teams requested the excessive tribunal to declare EO 62 as null, void, and unconstitutional, saying that it was “rapidly issued” and violated the requirement of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act to conduct an investigation and public hearings on the matter.