WHEREAS, Sections 104 and 401 of the Tariff and Customs Code of 1978 (Presidential Decree No. 1464), as amended, empower the President, upon the recommendation of the National Economic and Development Authority, to increase, reduce or remove existing protective rates of import duty, as well as to modify the form of duty.

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

SECTION 1.       The following articles under Section 104 of the Tariff and Customs Code, as amended, shall have rates of import duty in accordance with the schedule indicated opposite each article as listed below:

HDG NO.

HARMONIZED SYSTEM CODE

DESCRIPTION

Rate of Duty, (%)1 January

1997

1998

1999

2000

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

(6)

(7)

76.04

Aluminum bars, rods and profiles.

7604.21 00

-- x x x

- Of aluminum alloys

7604.29

- x x x

7604.29 00

- Other

7604.29 10

- Y-shape profiles for zippers, in coils

3

3

3

3

7604.29 90

- Other

20

10

10

10

76.05

Aluminum wire.

- Of aluminum, not alloyed:

7605.11 00

Of which the maximum cross-sectional dimension exceeds 7 mm

10

3

3

3

7605.19 00

-- x x x

- x x x

7605.21 00

-- x x x

7605.29

-- x x x

7605.29 10

-- x x x

Other articles of aluminum.

76.16

7616.10 00

- x x x

- Other:

7616.91 00

-- x x x

7616.99

-- Other

7616.99 10

--- x x x

7616.99 20

--- x x x

7616.99 30

--- x x x

7616.99 40

--- Tube for yarn winders; Bobbins, spools and similar supports for textile yarn

3

3

3

3

85.23

Prepared unrecorded media for sound recording or similar recording of other phenomena, other than products of Chapter 37.

8523.11

8523.11 10

---x x x

8523.11 90

-- x x x

8523.12

- x x x

8523.12 10

--- x x x

8523 12 90

--- x x x

8523.13

-- x x x

8523.13 10

--- x x x

8523.13 90

--- x x x

8523.20

-x x x

8523.20 10

--- x x x

8523.20 90

--- x x x

8523.30 00

- x x x

8523.90

- Other:

8523.90 10

--- Compact discs (CD) media

3

3

3

3

8523.90 90

Other

20

20

20

20

SECTION 2.       The nomenclature and the rates of import duty on tariff headings not enumerated and those listed but represented by the symbol "x x x" shall remain in force and effect.

SECTION 3.       Upon the effectivity of this Executive Order, the abovementioned articles which are entered or withdrawn from warehouses in the Philippines for consumption shall be levied the rates of duty herein prescribed.

SECTION 4.       All Presidential issuances, administrative rules and regulations, or parts thereof, which are inconsistent with this Executive Order are hereby revoked or modified accordingly.

SECTION 5.       This Executive Order shall take effect thirty (30) days following its complete publication in two (2) newspapers of general circulation in the Philippines.

Adopted: 17 Dec. 1997

BY THE PRESIDENT:

	(SGD.) FIDEL V. RAMOS
	President of the Philippines

(SGD.) RUBEN D. TORRES
Executive Secretary