President Rodrigo Duterte is set to release an executive order imposing price ceilings for pork and chicken to address the rising prices of food in the country.
(OFFICE OF SEN. BONG GO / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
Sen. Christopher Go said the Office of the President is currently reviewing the proposed Executive Order and assured that the government is keen on balancing the interests of consumers and traders.
“Parati ko itong pina-follow up din sa ating Executive Department at inaasahan natin itong mapirmahan po ng Pangulo (I’ve been following this up with the Executive Department and we expect it to be signed by the President),” Go said on Wednesday.
“Yun nga po ang pinag-aaralan ngayon ng Executive (Department). Binabalanse naman po nila ang lahat ng consumers, ordinaryong mamamayan and, of course, 'yung traders din po na alam naman nating talagang apektado rin po ang kanilang pagnenegosyo, (That is now being studied by the Executive Department. They are balancing the needs of the consumers, ordinary people and of course, our traders whom we now are all still affected by the pandemic),” assured Go.
Recently, various groups of hog raisers and poultry farmers have raised concerns on the proposal to impose price ceilings on pork and chicken.
Go said he has discussed with Department of Agriculture Secretary William Dar proposals to increase the Minimum Access Volume (MAV) for pork imports to augment local pork supply and to stabilize the prices of meat in the country.
“Isa po ito sa kanyang ipo-propose kay Pangulong Duterte, increasing the MAV para po bumaba 'yung presyo dahil talagang kulang 'yung supply, (This is one of the things he will propose to President Duterte, increasing the MAV to lower the price of meat because there is really limited supply),” he pointed out.
The senator appealed to traders not to stop their operations, saying the government will do its best to “help them through these difficult times.”
“Sisiguraduhin po ng ating Pangulo na babalansehin niya po ang kapakanan po ng karamihan (Our President will make sure to balance the interests of every stakeholders),” Go stressed.
Go said it is imperative for the government to address the issue of the rising prices of basic commodities and food given the economic ramifications of the current COVID-19 pandemic and their effects on the lives of ordinary Filipinos.