SIMEON CELI/ PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO
President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday issued an order setting price restrictions on pork and chicken in Metro Manila.
Duterte signed Executive Order (EO) 124 on Monday, a week after Agriculture Secretary William Dar called on Duterte to set a price ceiling for pork and chicken.
The EO sets the following price caps:
Pork (pigue) – P270 per kilo
Pork liempo – P300 per kilo
Dressed chicken – P160 per kilo
The order stated that the country’s local pork output was reduced due to the African swine fever outbreak.
“[T]he current retail prices of basic necessities in the National Capital Region such as pork and chicken have increased significantly, causing undue burden to Filipinos, especially the underprivileged and marginalized,” the EO read.
“[I]t is imperative and urgent to ensure that all basic necessities are adequate, affordable and accessible to all,” it continued.The order is effective for 60 days. It may be extended upon recommendation by the agriculture department. John Ezekiel J. Hirro