The Senate agriculture and food committee on Tuesday recommended to President Duterte to declare a national state of emergency because of the spread of African Swine Flu (ASF) that devastated the hog industry, mostly in Luzon.
The decision was made at the conclusion of a public hearing by the Senate agriculture committee chaired by Senator Cynthia A. Villar on the current pork shortage that earlier prompted the President to order a price ceiling on pork.
The motion to ask the government to declare a nationwide emergency was made by Senator Francis ‘’Kiko’’ Pangilinan, a former Presidential Assistant on Food Security and Agricultural Modernization during the Noynoy Aquino presidency, and seconded by Senator Nancy Binay.
Villar explained that under a state of national emergency, government could allocate funds for hog raisers who are forced to cull their hogs to stop the spread of ASF and to stop hog raisers from selling their hogs affected by ASF.
Earlier, Senator Imee Marcos, chairwoman of the Senate economic affairs committee, chided the Department of Agriculture (DA) for being slow in containing the ASF problem while Vietnam and the US have been active in resolving it.
Pangilinan said that under a state of emergency, government would give financial aid instead of extending loans.
He explained that government could tap revenues from tariffs on pork importations to hog raisers to pay for their culled pigs.
The resolution states that an Indemnification Fund shall be set aside to help the hog raisers who would be forced to cull their pigs.
The senators’ recommendation to Malacanang will he coursed through the DA.
The Senate measure covers both backyard farmers and commercial hog raisers.
The DA earlier stated that it had P28 billion to help hog raisers. But Pangilinan disclosed that the DA had P27 billion for loans and only P500 million was released as financial assistance.
Nicanor Briones of the Pork Producers Federation of the Philippines said the proposed Indemnification Fund would entice many hog raisers to resume their operations because they know that they would not face bankruptcy in case ASF hits them.
During the public hearing, DA Undersecretary Ariel Cayanan said the DA has been giving assistance to hog raisers but Villar said the DA procedure is slow.
She also noted that the DA wanted to lower tariff rates on pork where the current highest rate is 40 percent and to increase the volume of imports.
While the DA wants to import 400,000 metric tons of pork, President Duterte has a lower figure, Villar noted.
Villar also suggested to the public to buy chicken because the poultry industry has an excess production of 500,000 metric tons compared to pork that carries a high price tag and has a shortage of 84,000 metric tons.