Heir caught in conflict

A member of a prominent Filipino family has reportedly been killed in a recent attack in the Middle East, amid the ongoing conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran.

A highly reliable source told DAILY TRIBUNE that a hotel in Dubai was struck, killing several Filipino visitors.

Among the casualties is a great-great-granddaughter of a former government official who, more than a decade ago, was at the center of a widely publicized family controversy that dominated society pages between 2011 and 2012.

The government has not released any official confirmation regarding the incident.

The report goes against the announcement of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on 1 March that there have been no reported injuries or deaths among Filipinos from the ongoing missile attacks in the Middle East.

He added that the government is “closely and continuously” monitoring the situation, with an estimated 2 million Filipinos residing there.

Different pork scandal

Hog raisers fear that the next crisis to strike the economy will be in swine raising, as farms begin to fold and the business becomes a losing proposition due to unfair competition from imports and outright smuggling.

Chronic supply shortages from African swine fever (ASF) outbreaks, high domestic pork prices, quarantine evasion, and weak enforcement have undermined local hog raisers, particularly smallholders.

Nosy Tarsee said border control on farm products is lax, resulting in limited official data.

Seizures represent only a fraction, but industry estimates and sporadic large busts indicate billions in annual illicit trade value amid legal imports exceeding 700,000 metric tons annually.

Smuggling is a symptom of ASF-induced vulnerability: modest seized volumes, amounting to tens to hundreds of millions of pesos yearly for pork-inclusive agriculture, versus massive legal imports and unquantified underground flows.

Government agencies must reduce pork imports to encourage hog raisers to increase domestic pork production.

Local farmers must be given incentives to rebuild their swine herds and supply the domestic market.

Limits on rice imports were imposed after cheap foreign rice caused significant losses for local farmers, a policy that should be a model for the pork trade.

Imports reached 850,000 metric tons last year, which local producers said should be reduced to 550,000 metric tons. Carryovers from earlier imports have created a substantial oversupply.

An industry insider cited several storage facilities to Nosy Tarsee that are currently filled to the brim with imported pork, resulting in surpluses that depress market prices and discourage farmers from repopulating.

Imported dressed pork is sold at roughly P80 to P100 per kilo, with better cuts such as kasim priced around P120 per kilo. By comparison, locally produced pork is valued at about P165 per kilo live weight, equivalent to approximately P206 per kilo after slaughter and dressing.

The price of P120 per kilogram of imported pork is evidently below the production cost of P180 per kilogram live weight for local hog raisers.

If dressed imported pork can be bought at P120 per kilo and resold to trader-buyers at P150, food outlets will naturally choose the cheaper imported product.

Preferential tariff rates were introduced in 2021: 15 percent in-quota and 25 percent out-quota, down from the original tariff of 30 percent in quota and 40 percent out-quota.

A return to the previous tariff structure will provide the assistance that local producers need.

Industry data indicated that pork consumption last year was 1.58 million metric tons, while local production was 1.06 million metric tons, implying an estimated shortfall of 520,000 metric tons.

Imports last year reached 851,760 metric tons, creating a carryover surplus that undermines prices and local producers’ recovery efforts.

The local industry would require reducing import volumes while awaiting any tariff reinstatement to provide immediate relief for hog raisers and support efforts to rebuild the domestic herd.