NAGA CITY – In a bid to address the increasing price and decreasing supply of live hogs and pork, the City Government of Naga through the leadership of Mayor Nelson Legacion conducted a consultation meeting with the local meat industry players and stake holders over the week.

According to Mayor Legacion the purpose of said activity is to find a win-win solution to the problem besetting the hog industry and rationalize prices while securing supply. Resource persons were invited from concerned government agencies to shed light on the issues . The Provincial Director of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Camarines Sur, Edna Tejada discussed the salient pointS of the Joint Memorandum Circular No. 3 of 2020 and the Price Act or R.A. 7581. National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) OIC-Regional Technical Director, Dr. Alex Templonuevo presented Updates on the African Swine Fever and the Control Measures being done by the various agencies concerned. The chief of the Department of Agriculture’s Agribusiness and Marketing Division, Adelina Losa discussed the cost structure of hogs in the local market and a technical staff from the DA’s Livestock Program, Dr. Fermin Rabusa discussed the Status of Swine Production in Bicol.

Present during the meeting were the consumers group headed by Esperanza Libunao, president of Naga Consumers Action, the meat retailers group led by Conrad Levina who also presented their own cost structure. As there was a discrepancy in the cost structure presented by the meat retailers group with the one presented by The DA Agribusiness and Marketing Division, Mayor Legacion with the concurrence of those present decided to assign a working committee to discuss the issues and come up with recommendations to be presented to Mayor Legacion and the Sangguniang Panlungsod The committee shall be composed of ; Dir. Templonuevo of NMIS; Adelina Losa of DA, ; Conrad Livina of the meat vendors association, Libunao of Consumer Action group, and City Councilor Jose Perez chairperson of the Sangguniang Panlungsod committee on Consumers.

Mayor Legacion who moderated the forum also brought forth another possible course of action to implement stricter border control through issuance of an Executive Order enforcing certain restriction on the entry of viajeros from other provinces or regions into Naga City and limit the out shipment of hogs from Naga City and Camarines Sur province.

Rosita Imperial the chief of the Regulatory Division of the DA and a member of the Regional Quick Response Team (RQRT) on Emerging Animal Diseases said that the matter pertaining to the issuance of an Executive Order on the provincial level would be discussed first by the RQRT and they have to revisit first the previous EO on ASF control measures issued before by Governor Miguel Luis Villafuerte during the first ASF outbreak in the province in February last last year .

Also present during the consultation were representatives from the local media , other government agencies and other City officials. (EMILY B. BORDADO – DA-RAFIS 5)