Thread by @PhilippineStar

The Senate committee of the whole starts its probe into the looming food crisis and the alleged multibillion-peso corruption in pork importations. | @PaoloSRomero

@PaoloSRomero Sen. Panfilo Lacson at the start of the inquiry says based on data from the Bureau of Customs and the Philippine Statistical Authority there is no need for massive pork imports and lowering of tariffs as allowed by President Duterte's Executive Order 128. | @PaoloSRomero

@PaoloSRomero Lacson asks whether the importation and lowering of tariffs was done out of the "penchant" and "whim" of the DA. "The bigger question is why or 'magkano?'" | @PaoloSRomero

@PaoloSRomero Lacson appeals to President Duterte to recall EO 128, which he suspects was issued through "devious machinations" by those who want undermine the power of Congress to legislate import volumes. | @PaoloSRomero

@PaoloSRomero Lacson notes Malacañang sent a recommendation to raise pork import volumes on the last day of session of Congress before the break. | @PaoloSRomero

@PaoloSRomero Lacson warns the EO amounts to the 'mass murder' of the country's 80,000 local hog raisers and their families. | @PaoloSRomero

@PaoloSRomero Sen. Joel Villanueva at the pork importation corruption inquiry: "Kapabayaan din po ba kung bakit noon pa palang 2018, pinayagan na ng mga opisyal ng Bureau of Animal Industry ang pagpasok ng karne ng baboy sa mga mga bansang naka-ban sa Pilipinas" | @PaoloSRomero

@PaoloSRomero Villanueva: "Iligal po kasi ito at klarong paglabag sa mga Memorandum Order ng DA tungkol sa ban sa importation ng mga karne mula sa iba’t ibang bansa na may mga kaso na ng ASF" | @PaoloSRomero

@PaoloSRomero Villanueva: Pero ang mas malaking trahedya po ay ang pag-iingay ng ilang mga negosyante na ang tanging solusyon ay ang pag-aangkat ng karne ng baboy. Those who are about to make a big killing on imports are the ones doing the loud squealing. | @PaoloSRomero

@PaoloSRomero Villanueva: If they will dominate and dictate the policy discussion, then pig farmers, sellers, and consumers are simultaneously fighting three enemies known by their popular initials: ASF, COVID, and, it appears, DA. | @PaoloSRomero

@PaoloSRomero Agriculture Secretary William Dar maintains the DA continues to exert all efforts to control the African Swine Fever outbreak in the country and stabilize supply and prices of pork. | @PaoloSRomero

@PaoloSRomero Dar: The ASF remains a problem. The resurgence of ASF in China is driving up prices of pork global market. | @PaoloSRomero

@PaoloSRomero Dar estimates the pork supply deficit is at 388,563 metric tons with local supply at 1.22 million MT and demand at 1.6 million MT. | @PaoloSRomero

@PaoloSRomero Dar maintains the raising of allowed pork importation under the minimum access volume is only temporary even as he denies existence of alleged "tong-pats" or padding the prices of imports. | @PaoloSRomero