Pangilinan urges gov't to restore pork tariff rates

Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan on Sunday urged the government to restore tariff rates to their original 20% to 30% levels, noting that pork prices remained high despite lower tariffs on imports.

In a statement, Pangilinan said three months since pork tariffs were reduced, pork prices were still high and local hog raisers were still suffering.

"The promise of lower pork prices has not been fulfilled. That’s why when Congress reopens, I will again raise my recommendation to raise tariffs on imported pork to original rates," he said.

As of July 9, the Department of Agriculture said the price per kilogram of pork ham (kasim) was at P340, while that of pork belly (liempo) was at P380.

"Three-hundred eighty is still high. Pre-ASF, pork per kilo costs about P240. Let's support the local hog raisers and give them a fighting chance. With our current policy, only the importers are smiling while Filipino consumers continue to be on a pork diet because they could not afford the high prices," Pangilinan said.

Pangilinan added that the taxes that should have been collected from imported pork could have been used to assist more hog raisers who were hit by the African swine fever.

"The Department of Agriculture can boast about flooding the supermarkets of imported pork, but who can afford them? Who buys them? The question remains -- did touted government policy work for the Filipino consumers and the local industry?" he said.

In early April, Duterte reduced the tariff rates for imported pork meat to 5%-20% from 30%-40% for a year under EO 128.

In May, Duterte also issued EO 133 that raised the minimum access volume (MAV) for pork imports to 254,210 metric tons (MT) from 54,210 MT.

He then approved EO 134, which sets tariffs on pork imports under the MAV to 10% for the first three months, and 15% in the next nine months. — DVM, GMA News