Palace appeals to vendors to resume selling pork

Malacañang on Monday appealed to vendors in Metro Manila who went on "pork holiday" due to fear of going bankrupt amid the price freeze imposed by the government to resume operations, saying government aid will be enough for them to survive.

“May mga grupo na nag-declare ng pork holiday, meron rin pong nanawagan ng pagkain ng alternative protein sources. Sinusuportahan po natin iyong panawagan for consuming alternative protein sources, pero nakikiusap po kami sa mga nagtitinda ng baboy na ipagpatuloy niyo po ang pagtitinda,” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in a briefing.

The pork holiday was held on the first day of implementation of the price ceiling ordered by President Rodrigo Duterte in response to a request from the Department of Agriculture (DA).

Duterte's executive order sets a price cap for kasim and pigue at P270 per kilo, P300 for liempo, and P160 for dressed chicken per kilo. The price cap will last for 60 days.

The DA requested for a price cap due to soaring pork prices caused by the Asian swine fever (ASF) problem and the COVID-19 pandemic.

As a result of the price cap, many pork stalls in markets in Balintawak, Divisoria and Trabajo observed pork holiday on Monday.

Roque said the government will source pork from areas not hit by the ASF, and pointed out that South Cotabato-based culling groups can supply 10,000 heads of hogs weekly for Metro Manila alone.

“Gobyerno na po ang magpapakalat nito sa merkado,” Roque said.

Roque said the farmgate price of pork will be at P145 per kilo, and that the transportation subsidy for pork supply coming from Mindanao, Visayas and provinces in Luzon will be at P21, P15 and 10, respectively.

Pork vendors have earlier lamented that the price cap will force them to observe pork holiday since they won’t earn a living and even shell out more money under a scheme.

Roque conceded that the pork holiday is an expected response, but it should not last long considering that government aid is in place.

“Sinabi naman po ng economists na makakapaekto sa supply ang price cap, pero 10,000 a week ang manggagaling sa South Cotabato alone, at inaayos rin po ng DA ang ibang panggagalingan ng supply,” Roque said.

“Anticipated naman po natin ‘yan (pork holiday), pero kinakailangan pong gawin po ‘yan (price cap),” he added. —KBK, GMA News