Workers unload sacks of rice at a warehouse in Tondo, Manila on June 23, 2022. George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News

MANILA - Agricultural stakeholders are set to ask the Supreme Court to stop the implementation of Executive Order 62, which lowers tariffs on agricultural products, before the Supreme Court.

Jayson Cainglet, Executive Director of Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG), said they will be filing for a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) on July 4, Thursday.

Cainglet said the agricultural groups weren't consulted before the issuance of the EO.

"Minabuti po nating mag-file ng kaso laban dito sa Executive [Order] 62, unang una kasi wala talagang naganap na konsultasyon. Paglabag ito sa batas, kaya ito ay isang illegal na Executive Order," Cainglet said.

(We wanted to file a case against the EO since there were no consultations, this is against the law. This is an illegal order.)

Executive Order 62 lowers the tariffs for imported agricultural products, like rice.

Under the EO, import duties for rice will be lowered to 15 percent from the current rate of 35 percent, to bring down retail prices for consumers. Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said this was reasonable as world prices are at an all-time high.

The EO mandates the lowering of tariffs until 2028, with a provision for review every four months.

But Cainglet argues that the review will also be done by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), so it would be unlikely that they will raise it further.

"NEDA ang nagpanukala, NEDA ang duminig ng proposal, NEDA ang nagdesisyon, NEDA rin ang magrereview. Kaya wala tayong maaasahan sa review process na yan," Cainglet said.

(It was NEDA that proposed, NEDA that decided, and NEDA that will also conduct the review. We can't hope for anything good coming out of it.)

Agricultural stakeholders have been opposing the lowering of tariffs saying this will hurt local producers.

Cainglet said they believe lower tariffs will not lead to lower retail prices in the market since other countries can decide to raise the prices of their exports anyway.

"Hindi magsasaka ang may kasalanan ng inflation, hindi ang farmgate ng palay, hindi ang local production, kundi ang global price ng bigas ay sobrang taas," he said.

(It's not farmers' fault that inflation is high, not the farmgate price of play, not local production. It's really the global prices.)

Without a TRO, the EO is expected to take effect this July 7.