05/10/2026
ANO BA TALAGA, KUYA?
Today, we filed a resolution calling for a legislative inquiry into the government’s policies on the importation and tariffs of pork and seafood.
Last May 2026, the President signed Executive Order No. 116, allowing increased pork importation. At that time, our local hog industry was reeling from African Swine Fever, while pork prices were soaring.
Fast-forward to last week.
The Department of Agriculture is now seeking additional tariffs on pork imports, citing the sharp decline in farmgate prices—from around ₱215 per kilogram in June 2025 to ₱150 per kilogram in August 2026.
So, which is it?
Una, mahal kaayo ang karneng baboy, mao nga gipadaghan nato ang imports. Unya pagkabarato na sa baboy, gipataas na pud nato ang taripa.
In just a short period, we have gone from one extreme to the other—and somehow, the solution keeps coming back to importation and tariffs.
The same concern is emerging in the fisheries sector. Over the past year, there appears to have been a significant increase in the government’s authority to import fish and seafood, with the Department of Agriculture recently approving the importation of 60,000 metric tons.
This issue has gone under the radar for far too long.
At a time when the peso is under pressure against the dollar, we should be asking whether increasing our dependence on imports is really the best course of action—especially when the consequences will ultimately be felt by our local farmers and fisherfolk.
Mas makapabalaka pa gyud ang kapaspas sa pag-usab sa merkado—gikan sa kakulang sa suplay ug taas nga presyo, ngadto sa ubos kaayong presyo sa farmgate nga karon nanginahanglan na og interbensyon gikan sa gobyerno.
Our farmers and fisherfolk need predictable, long-term and sustainable policies—not policies that change direction every time the market moves.
If we import when prices are high, then impose additional tariffs when prices fall, we have to ask, who is actually carrying the cost of these policy swings?
It certainly should not always be our farmers and fisherfolk.
Mao nga nanawagan ko sa akong mga kauban sa Kongreso nga susihon ang mga polisiya sa gobyerno bahin sa importasyon, taripa, seguridad sa pagkaon, ug lokal nga produksyon.
Let us determine what is really happening, who benefits from these policies, and what needs to change.
Kay sa dili pa kini mahimong mas dako nga problema, kinahanglan nato nga klarohon una ang usa ka butang.
Ano ba talaga, Kuya? Import kapag mahal? Tariff kapag mura?
Our farmers and fisherfolk deserve better than policy by knee-jerk reaction.
Daghang salamat.
