Bong Go confirms EO imposing price ceilings on pork, chicken may be issued soon; assures public that gov't will balance interests of consumers and traders

In an effort to immediately address rising prices of food products and strengthen the country's food security, Senator Christopher "Bong" Go confirmed that the Office of the President is currently reviewing the proposed Executive Order imposing price ceilings on pork and chicken which President Rodrigo Duterte may issue soon.

"Parati ko itong pina-follow up din po sa ating Executive Department at inaasahan natin itong mapirmahan po ng Pangulo," Go said during an ambush interview right after he personally provided assistance to fire victims in Brgy. 46, Pasay City on Tuesday, January 26.

Go also assured stakeholders that the government will always balance the interests of consumers and traders.

"'Yun nga po ang pinag-aaralan ngayon ng Executive (Department). Binabalanse naman po nila ang lahat� consumers, ordinaryong mamamayan and, of course, 'yung traders din po na alam naman nating talagang apektado rin po ang kanilang pagnenegosyo," assured Go.

Various groups of hog raisers and poultry farmers have recently raised concerns on the proposal to impose price ceilings on pork and chicken.

"Sisiguraduhin po ng ating Pangulo na babalansehin niya po ang kapakanan po ng karamihan," he added.

The Senator also shared that he has discussed with Department of Agriculture Secretary William Dar the increasing of the Minimum Access Volume (MAV) for pork imports to augment local pork supply and to stabilize the meat prices in the country.

"Nakausap ko rin po si Sec. Dar... isa po ito sa kanyang ipo-propose kay Pangulong Duterte, increasing the MAV para po bumaba 'yung presyo dahil talagang kulang 'yung supply," Go said.

He, then, appealed to traders not to stop their operations and assured them that the government will help them throughout these difficult times.

To address the issues on African Swine Fever, President Rodrigo Duterte has already issued Executive Order No. 105 which created the National Task Force on Animal-Borne Diseases. This seeks to undertake activities to prevent the entry of animal-borne diseases, control their spread, and address other related concerns.

Earlier, Go also lauded President Duterte for signing Executive Order No. 123, modifying the rates of import duty on certain agricultural products under Section 1611 of Republic Act No. 10863, otherwise known as the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act.

As a way to address hunger and prevent prices from going up, the EO will further maintain the reduced tariff rates on Mechanically Deboned Meat of chicken and turkey until the end of next year. MDM is a major ingredient of low-priced meat products largely consumed by ordinary Filipinos.

Go emphasized that the issue of rising prices must be addressed given the economic ramifications of the current pandemic and their effects on the lives of ordinary Filipinos.

"Kailangan natin itong solusyonan. Lalong-lalo na sa panahon ngayon na marami pong mga kababayan natin ang nawalan ng trabaho. Walang pambili ng pagkain ang mga 'yan. Tataas pa ang presyo. Mas lalong mahihirapan ang mga kababayan natin," he said.