DA eyes meetings with DOF, Customs over meat import mess

Following the "quitting" of two agency heads under him, Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala will meet with Finance and Customs officials to discuss more ways to address the concerns of hog and poultry raisers against smuggling. Alcala said he hopes to meet with Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima to further discuss the issue this coming week. "Hindi nagtatapos o nagsisimula ito sa tao. Patuloy ang dayalogo... para maisagawa ang kongkretong solusyon gaya ng ibinigay naming proposal with the Customs," he said in an interview on dzBB radio. Earlier, hog and poultry raisers complained that smuggled meat was killing their business, and had staged a brief meat holiday late April. Alcala said Bureau of Animal Industry head Efren Nuestro went on indefinite leave while National Meat Inspection Service head Jane Bacayo submitted an irrevocable resignation. “May kahilingan ang meat industry natin. Kinausap ko sila at si Director Bacayo, sabi niya nag-tender siya ng irrevocable resignation. Si Director Nuestro, dahil siya ay retirable na in two months, at dahil na rin sa ginagawang investigation, nag-submit ng indefinite leave para magkaroon ng free hand ang department para malayang makapagimbestiga,” he said. For now, Alcala said he will talk to Purisima, then to Customs Commissioner Rozzano Rufino Biazon before presenting his final report to President Benigno Aquino III. “Aquino wants us to get our acts together before we present proposed solutions to him,” he said. — LBG, GMA News