Senator Sonny Angara
Recently, the Senate Committee of the Whole (COW), led by Senate President Sotto, conducted two extensive hearings on the African Swine Fever (ASF) which continues to be a perennial threat not only to the local hog industry, but also the country’s food security.
The hearings underscored the seriousness of this other outbreak, as evidenced by the steep rise in the price of pork in public markets (P360-P400 per kilogram in January) due to the lack of supply, which led to the issuance of a price cap; the decline in the total swine inventory of around 24 percent compared to the previous year; and the high number of hog owners and farmers affected in at least 12 regions in the country (68,000).