Thread by @cnnphilippines

THREAD: Senate Committee of the Whole conducts a probe into the African Swine Fever outbreak and the pork supply crisis in the country | LIVE bit.ly/3wW5h0r

Tweets by our correspondent @meltlopez

@meltlopez Sen. Ping Lacson asks: Bakit importation agad ang tugon ng DA?

@meltlopez Sen. Lacson shows there's more than enough local pork supply to meet consumer demand: We appeal to the President to reconsider and recall his Executive Order reducing import tariffs

@meltlopez Sen. Lacson: Why are we importing? Double dead ang epekto ng EO 128 dahil mamamatay ang lokal na industriya at patay din ang revenue collections.

He projects ₱3.6B in foregone import duties as the tariff is reduced to 5-15% from the current 30-40%.

@meltlopez Sen. Joel Villanueva says DA should prioritize ending ASF and providing direct aid to local hog farmers.

Sen. Risa Hontiveros: Comatose na ang industriya pero parang walang balak buhayin at biglang sigla?

@meltlopez Sen. Cynthia Villar says no need to reduce import tariffs since it's mostly offal and there's also no need to raise the import volumes: There are 2.5M hog raisers in PH & 65% of them are poor farmers.

She asks DA to explain why its policies seem to favor importers.

@meltlopez DA Sec. William Dar says there's 'severe shortage' in pork supply this year.

He cites a deficit of 388,563 metric tons drawn from 1.22 million MT in available local supply vs 1.6 million MT demand: Talagang manipis na po ang supply natin.

@meltlopez DA Sec. Dar on alleged tongpats scheme where officials allegedly get ₱5-₱7 per kg of pork for signing import clearances: The present DA leadership categorically denies any involvement if such scheme indeed exists.

Sen. Lacson says his informant comes from within DA.

@meltlopez Pedro Sanchez, head of the BAI Compliance and Regulatory Enforcement for Security & Trade Office, says there are various schemes involving the issuance of spurious licenses to operate and dummy companies for meat storage facilities, import clearances.

@meltlopez CRESTO says cases have been filed against former DA officials involved in these modus operandi

@meltlopez AGAP Party-list and Pork Producers Federation VP Nicanor Briones: Aatras mg magbababoy. Sa ginagawa ni Sec. Dar, pinapatay niya ang sektor ng pagbababuyan. Sa halip na mag-repopulate, magbabawas ng alaga kapag bumaha ang mga inimport na katumbas ng 8 milyong baboy.

@meltlopez Pork Producers Federation says additional imports need enhanced testing and biosafety measures: Kung hindi mache-check, maaaring magkaroon tayo ng ibang mga variant ng ASF. He also warns about bird flu as the DA earlier allowed the entry of additional mechanically deboned chicken

@meltlopez Based on DA data, 68,382 hog farmers are affected by ASF across 2,402 barangays in 40 provinces in the Philippines

@meltlopez Sen. Lacson points out that former Bureau of Animal Industry director Ronnie Domingo kept issuing import clearances for pork even from countries with ASF cases like Hungary and Belgium.

Domingo has been reassigned to head the Philippine Carabao Center.

@meltlopez Ex-Bureau of Animal Industry director Domingo argues that they only allowed the entry of pork based on import clearances approved prior to the discover of ASF infections in other jurisdictions. They say the source of ASF in PH is smuggled pork products.

@meltlopez Sen. Joel Villanueva says he's 'disappointed' with the DA for being the first to recommend additional pork imports when their mandate is to empower Filipino farmers.

DA claims they consulted hog raisers, but farmer groups have said they were not involved.

@meltlopez Sen. Villar questions DA’s computation on pork supply deficit: Kung bumaba ang local production ng 25%, ganoon lang dapat ang increase ng imports. Bakit biglang naging 400,000 MT?

@meltlopez Sen. Villar to DA Sec. Dar: The highest ever pork imports in our 10-year history is 120,000 metric tons. Bakit ka mag-iimport ng 400,000 MT, ang layo naman noon? Hindi ko talaga 'yun maintindihan, sobrang out of range. Hindi kayo naawa sa mga backyard farmers.

@meltlopez Senate President Tito Sotto: If you raise the imports, bakit binababa niyo yung tariff, aalisin niyo ang kita ng gobyerno? Sa bulsa ang punta niyan. It's mind-boggling.

@meltlopez BAI Director Reildrin Morales says the entry of frozen pork imports may bring down the retail price to ₱275-₱295 per kilo of liempo from the current ₱350/kg.

But Sen. Recto points out it may not be automatic given the extra cost of cold storage in markets.

@meltlopez Sen. Recto on pork imports: Ang ASF, parang COVID-19. Hindi natin pinapayagan ang turista na pumasok sa bansa. Pero ang turistang baboy, papayagan natin?

@meltlopez Sen. Migz Zubiri: Importation should be the last resort of the DA. Pero bakit ang DA, parang nagiging Department of Importation.

@meltlopez Senators Villar, Zubiri tell DA not to listen to NEDA alone in pork imports, tariffs: Mas pakinggan niyo po ang mga naghihirap nating farmers

@meltlopez Senators also question the timing of President Duterte's EO reducing pork import tariffs, which was issued on the last day of Congress sessions.

Sen. Drilon points out that if Congress fails to act on it within 15 days, this will be in effect.