MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte has signed an executive order keeping reduced tariff rates on certain imported poultry products until 2022, citing the COVID-19 pandemic.

Duterte last Jan. 15 signed Executive Order 123 that will keep the duty rate at 5 percent for mechanically deboned chicken and turkey meat until Dec. 31, 2022.

“In view of the continuing crisis brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, there is an urgent need to adopt measures aimed towards mitigating the adverse impacts of the current situation on the lives and livelihoods of Filipinos,” Duterte said.

In 2017, the Duterte reduced the tariff rates on the 2 poultry products to 5 percent from 30 to 40 percent as a concession to trading partners for extending the quota on rice imports to protect Filipino farmers.

Last year, he signed a separate executive order that kept the lower tariff rate until Dec. 31, 2020.

Chicken and pork prices recently went up in Luzon as supplies fell.

An agriculture advocacy group said part of the reason why chicken prices soared was that many broiler raisers went bankrupt the previous year due to pandemic restrictions.

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