Question & AnswerQ&A (EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 185)
The President exercises this power under Section 401 of Presidential Decree No. 1464, also known as the Tariff and Customs Code of the Philippines, as amended.
It supports commitments made under the 2007 Sydney and 2011 Honolulu Declarations of APEC leaders to address climate change, liberalize trade in environmental goods and services consistent with WTO obligations, and advance green growth.
The order applies to articles specifically listed in Annex A of the order, which correspond to the APEC List of Environmental Goods enumerating 54 environmental goods that contribute directly to green growth and sustainable development.
The order mandates that the MFN rate of duty on the specified environmental goods be reduced to 5% or less by the end of 2015.
The Order takes effect immediately following its complete publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.
Tariff headings and subheadings not enumerated or shown with an 'x' symbol in Annex A shall retain their existing rates of import duty.
Section 3 repeals or modifies all orders, rules, and regulations or parts thereof that are inconsistent with any provisions of this Order.
Section 4 contains a separability clause stating that if any provision is declared invalid or unconstitutional, the remaining provisions will continue to be valid and in effect.
Upon the Order's effectivity, any articles listed in Annex A entered into or withdrawn from warehouses in the Philippines for consumption shall be levied the prescribed MFN rates of duty.