TACLOBAN CITY — The Department of Agriculture (DA) in Eastern Visayas is stepping up its efforts to monitor the movement of food across regional ports as transport delays continue to affect the supply chain.

Francis Rosaroso, chief of the DA’s Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Division, said more personnel will be deployed to ports to make sure that food safety protocols and disease checks aren’t compromised — especially as vehicle restrictions at the San Juanico Bridge continue to cause serious logistical bottlenecks.

“These additional people will support the quarantine officers already stationed at various ports,” Rosaroso said, adding that the deployment will be funded by the Bureau of Plant Industry and the Bureau of Animal Industry.

DA Assistant Secretary for Logistics Daniel Alfonso Atayde went to Tacloban City on Sunday to meet with DA Regional Director Andrew Orais and explore possible solutions for truckers, many of whom haul perishable goods from Mindanao to Metro Manila.

The meeting came after reports of truckloads of bananas stuck in Ormoc City for more than a week, with some fruits beginning to rot while waiting for RoRo vessels bound for Calbayog and eventually Metro Manila via Matnog, Sorsogon.

Rosaroso said the situation is serious enough to be considered a logistics crisis, prompting the possible implementation of the Price Act — a law meant to prevent price manipulation and ensure the steady supply of essential goods during emergencies.

While there are no official priority lanes for food trucks at ports, Rosaroso said the Office of Civil Defense has instructed truckers to call its hotline upon arrival to receive assistance.