• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said on Monday, April 7, there is no cause for concern over the latest tariff imposition by the United States on the Philippines, as far as Negros Occidental is concerned.
An alarm has been sounded over the increase in tariff at 17 percent on the Philippine products, including sugar being exported to the United States.
In most cases, Lacson said sugar production in Negros Occidental is enough for local consumption.
“I don’t think it’s just gonna have a major effect on our local economy here,” the governor said, stressing also that Negros Occidental is not an export-producing province.
In fact, the agricultural products that are commonly exported to the US are corn and soybeans.
Sugar Regulatory Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona earlier said that the Philippines is shipping out 50 percent of the 143,000 metric tons share of raw sugar in the US sugar quota for crop year 2024-2025.
The explanation in the US Department of Agriculture website is that the tariffs will be shouldered by the US importer, Azcona added.
He also clarified that the tariff was previously at 10 percent and now the reciprocal tariff is set at 18 percent not 17 percent.
In a statement, the Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) said the government must not be complacent over the reciprocal tariffs even if the Philippines will be slapped with the second lowest rate among US trade partners.
The FFF argued that the higher tariff rate could still be detrimental to the country’s farm sector as this will result in higher cost of its agricultural exports.
Lacson noted that Indonesia and Thailand have higher tariff imposition, compared to the Philippines.
“I guess that is because of the strong relationship between the US and the Philippines,” he said. | GB
