WHEREAS, importation of wheat for food is not subject to quantitative restrictions;

WHEREAS, Executive Order No. 313 increased the rate of duty on said commodity to 50%;

WHEREAS, it is necessary to revert the tariff rate thereon to its previous level;

WHEREAS, Sec. 401 of the Tariff and Customs Code of 1978 (Presidential Decree No. 1464), as amended, empowers the President to increase, reduce, or remove existing protective rates of import duty, including any necessary changes in classification, as well as to modify the form of  duty upon the recommendation of the National Economic Development Authority;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, FIDEL V. RAMOS, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by law, do hereby order:

SECTION 1. The rates of import duty under heading no. 1001.90 90 of the Harmonized System (HS) Tariff and Customs Code of the Philippines are amended to read as follows:

HDG. NO.	HARMONIZED SYSTEM CODE	DESCRIPTION	RATE OF DUTY
			July 1
			APRIL
			1996	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000
10.01		Wheat and meslin
1001.10	00	-x x x
1001.90		-Other
1001.90	10	-Wheat used as feed	50	50	40	40	35	35
1001.90	90	-Other	10	10	10	10	10	10

SECTION 2. Upon the effectivity of this Executive Order, the abovementioned articles which are entered into or withdrawn from warehouses in the Philippines for consumption shall be levied the rates of duty herein prescribed.

SECTION 3. All Presidential issuances, administrative rules and regulations, or parts thereof, which are inconsistent with this Executive Order are hereby revoked or modified accordingly.

SECTION 4. This Executive Order shall take effect immediately following its complete publication in two (2) newspapers of general circulation in the Philippines.

Adopted: 23 April 1996


By the President:

(SGD.) RUBEN D. TORRES
Executive Secretary