Published January 18, 2021, 1:31 PM President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered to retain the 5 percent tariff on mechanically deboned meat (MDM), a decision in favor of the local meat processors to the dismay of local raisers. President Duterte issued Executive Order (EO) 123 to keep the tariff on MDM low at 5 percent, instead of reverting it to 40 percent amid the lapse of the country’s Quantitative Restriction (QR) privileges and the eventual enactment of the Rice Tariffication Law (RA 11203). The Philippine Association of Meat Processors Inc. (PAMPI) lauded Duterte’s decision and said that “it is consistent with the government’s well-defined policy to promote the domestic manufacturing sector, generate employment, protect consumers and ensure economic growth.”