Pork retailers urged to continue selling amid pork holiday

MANILA – Malacañang on Monday appealed to pork retailers to continue selling pork as South Cotabato swine producers committed to supply Metro Manila with 10,000 heads of live hogs per week amid the threat of a pork holiday.

“Sinusuportahan po natin yung advocacy na alternative pork choices pero nakikiusap po kami sa ating mga nagtitinda, sana po ipagpatuloy ninyo ang pagtitinda ng baboy (We support advocacy of alternative pork choices but we appeal to our sellers to continue selling pork),” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a regular virtual Palace press briefing.

He said the national government has been taking steps to help pork traders, including getting pork supply from Visayas and Mindanao and in African swine fever (ASF)-free areas in Luzon.

“Gumawa naman po ng hakbang ang gobyerno nga ‘no, pinadami po natin ang supply, ang patunay po diyan iyong 10,000 heads of pork every week na manggagaling sa South Cotabato alone ‘no. Mayroon pa pong mga inaayos na iba pang source of supply ang ating Department of Agriculture (The government has been taking steps to increase our supply and proof of that is 10,000 heads of pork every week will come from South Cotabato alone. The Department of Agriculture is also looking for other source of supply),” Roque said in a virtual Palace briefing.

Last Saturday, Agriculture Secretary William Dar said members of the South Cotabato Swine Producers Association (Socospa) agreed to consolidate the available hog resources in the area to maximize their deliveries.

Dar said South Cotabato, which is among the areas in the country that remain free from the ASF, have been shipping around 10,000 heads of live hogs and frozen carcasses every week or 40,000 heads every month to Metro Manila.

Roque said the national government will pay the cost for shipment of the pork supply from the provinces.

“Gobyerno na po ang mag-aangkat niyan at gobyerno na rin po ang magpapakalat niyan sa merkado so hindi naman po tayo magkukulang. At ang presyo po ng baboy na inaangkat sa South Cotabato ay nasa PHP145 per kilo (The government will be in-charge of shipment and distribution to the market so there will be no shortage. And the price of pork from South Cotabato is about PHP145 per kilo),” Roque said.

He said the government will also provide transportation subsidy for the transport of pork products.

“Yung mga manggagaling ng Mindanao, gaya nitong galing sa South Cotabato mayroon na po tayong PHP21 [per kilo] na subsidy na binibigay para sa transportasyon. Mayroon po tayong PHP15 [per kilo] na para sa mga baboy na manggagaling sa Visayas. Mayroon din po tayong PHP10 [per kilo] para sa mga baboy na manggagaling sa iba’t ibang parte ng Luzon na walang ASF (Those from Mindanao, like South Cotabato, we have PHP21 per kilo subsidy for transportation, PHP15 per kilo from Visayas, and PHP10 per kilo from different parts of Luzon that have no ASF),” Roque said.

Roque also said the government has made financial or loan assistance available to pork vendors and assured that if importing from Visayas and Mindanao will not be enough, then the government can also import from abroad as a last recourse.

On Feb. 1, President Rodrigo Duterte signed Executive Order 124 imposing a 60-day price ceiling on selected pork and chicken products in the NCR following the rising food prices.

Under the EO, the mandated price ceiling for pork, particularly kasim or pigue is PHP270 per kilo while the price ceiling of liempo is PHP300 per kilo.

Likewise, the mandated price ceiling of dressed chicken is PHP160 per kilo.

Some traders and vendors reportedly called for a “pork holiday” in Metro Manila starting Monday to protest price ceilings on pork and chicken.