WHEREAS, the Cabinet Committee created by Memorandum Order No. 245, with the inclusion of the Director-General of the National Economic and Development Authority, created the mechanism for the implementation of the agricultural minimum access volume (MAV), as mandated by Republic Act No. 8178, otherwise known as the Agricultural Tariff Act;

WHEREAS, Department of Agriculture (DA) Administrative Order (AO) No. 8, series of 1997, as amended by DA AO 1, series of 1998, provides for the amended rules and regulations for the implementation of the agricultural MAVs;

WHEREAS, the amended MAV rules provide that the MAVs shall be allocated to MAV applicants twice during the MAV year, the first in February where the incremental MAV, the allocation of the previous MAV year; and any portion of the MAV not taken in the previous year are allocated, and the second in July where the allocations surrendered by licensees are reallocated;

WHEREAS, the sugar MAV has not been allocated this year because of a temporary restraining order (TRO) on its implementation;

WHEREAS, the Office of the Solicitor General has informed the DA that the effectivity of the TRO has lapsed;

NOW, THEREFORE, the MAV Secretariat is hereby instructed to undertake the necessary actions to facilitate the processing of applications for the 1998 sugar MAV to enable the MAV licensees to import the sugar MAV by August 31, 1998, in a manner consistent with principles and procedures laid down in the existing rules and regulations for the implementation of the agricultural MAVs.

This Order shall take effect immediately.

Adopted: 17 July 1998

(SGD.) WILLIAM D. DAR
Acting Secretary and
Chairperson, MAV Management Committee