CIBAC Party-List Representative and House Deputy Speaker Bro Eddie Villanueva has joined calls for the lifting of Executive Order 128 which set for a lowered tariff rates for pork imports from 40% down to 5% – saying the move is aimed at directly “killing” the local hog industry.
“The lowering of pork imports tariff in this period of pandemic and when our local hog industry is in “critical” if not dying condition due to African swine fever is not only shocking but at the same time unbelievable! Allowing more pork imports to flood the market will surely kill the livelihood of our Filipino hog raisers! It is surely never the most apt policy to enforce, it is devoid of any serious concern for our local pork producers,” said Villanueva after the Senate hearing on the food security crisis brought about by the African swine fever that is currently affecting the local hog industry.
“The circumstances which led to the issuance of such order that allows unhampered importation of pork more than our country’s demands are suspicious. First, it is not established that our local producers do not have the ability to meet local demand. Second, volume of allowed pork to be imports is without basis and excessively more than the consumption demand of the country, so why import? Lastly, the fictitious nature of leading companies of pork importers seems indicative that this is done in connivance with scrupulous individuals in the government. I will file the necessary House measure to appeal to the President to abrogate EO 128,” according to Villanueva.
This month, the President issued Executive Order (EO) 128 which lowers the tariff rates on pork imports from 30% to 5% on pork imported under the minimum access volumes (MAV), and from 40% to 15% for out-of-quota imported pork. The government said such a move is aimed to supply the market with enough pork so that prices will not go up as the country’s hog industry is grappling with the African swine fever which hit the sector back in 2019.
However, the CIBAC lawmaker is not convinced. The market price of pork is currently pegged at around P400 per kilo from P250 per kilo before the pandemic.
Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reveal that the annual average production of Filipino hog industry is pegged at 2.25 million metric tons, much higher than the Filipino average annual consumption which is only set at 1.85 million metric tons.
“It seems that rent-seeking individuals in the pork importation sector as well in the government connived to grab this opportunity to make profits for themselves at the expense of our 68,000 local hog producers and potential billions of government revenues. Instead of aggressively initiating policy interventions to repopulate and resuscitate our local hog industry amidst the African swine fever malady, the government did not take the extra mile but conveniently resort to allow increased importation to address the issue. We cannot allow this unconscionable indifference,” said Villanueva.
“Dito sa amin sa Bulacan, bagsak na bagsak ang kabuhayan ng mga magbababoy. Wala na din silang ganang magpatuloy sa negosyo kasi tatalunin lang sila sa presyuhan ng mga imported na karneng baboy at kulang din ang ayuda ng gobyerno para tulungan ang industriya. Kaya, kami ay nanawagan sa mas makatwiran, mas pinag-aralan at mas may pagsa-alang-alang na polisiya para sa ating mga magbababoy. Umpisahan natin iyan sa pagbasura ng Executive Order 128 at sundan ng konkretong suporta ng gobyerno para matulungan ang mga magbababoy na nawalan ng mga alaga dahil sa sakit na African swine fever na makabawi uli,” he said.