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AGAP Party-list Rep. Nicanor Briones has raised concern over the alleged practice of unscrupulous importers who misdeclare pork as something else in order to avoid paying higher tariffs. 

Briones attended the hearing Wednesday, Jan. 15 of the House quinta-committee (quinta-comm), also known as the Murang Pagkain Super-committee,

According to him, pork cuts are imposed with a 25 percent tariff; while fats, meat skin, and offals are imposed a five percent tariff only. 

"Dine-declare na offals pero ang totoong dumadating, may possibility na tunay na pork cuts or tunay na karne just to evade paying right tariffs," the pro-farmer solon told the panel.

(They're declaring them offals just to evade paying right tariffs, but it's possible that what really arrived were real pork cuts or real meat.)

Department of Agriculture (DA) Assistant Secretary Constante Palabrica, who also attended the hearing, committed to investigate the matter.

ASF problem

According to him, African swine fever (ASF) is the primary challenge facing the local swine industry. Since 2019, ASF has drastically reduced the country's pig production by more than 50 percent, posing a significant challenge to the agricultural sector.

DA has initiated measures such as repopulating swine herds and rolling out an ASF vaccination program. 

Palabrica disclosed to the quinta-comm that the DA secured 500,000 doses of ASF vaccines, which have been distributed to farmers to aid in repopulation efforts. 

He added that the ASF vaccine is currently undergoing clinical trials. Once found that it meets surveillance and observation standards, the DA plans to seek approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its regular distribution. 

Palabrica also reported that the DA had established checkpoints in Metro Manila to prevent the spread of ASF from different regions.