Shortage of local pork expected due to ASF

Support for electric vehicle use incentivization grows

Incentivizing the use of electric vehicles (EVs) in the country in a bid to reduce carbon emissions has gained the support of various mobility and clean air advocates.

“In this day and age, it’s important that we recognize policy and technology solutions are key to ensuring significant and efficient emission reduction in our cities and in national governments,” Dang Espita-Casanova, program manager at Clean Air Asia said in a statement.

“This process we believe should be participatory, inclusive, and highlights the co-benefits of actions so that we are able to engage and enlist support from all actors in the space,” Espita-Casanova said.

Meanwhile, chemist and university professor Abigail Arillaga is backing the move to incentivize the use of EVs to help mainstream their use.

Arillaga said the introduction of EVs to the country can help reduce the emissions of greenhouse gasses which are harmful to the environment.

“In the Philippines, sad to say, if we cannot incentivize its use, it will be difficult to persuade others to patronize this product over the traditional one or over the other,” Arilaga said.

The government has issued Executive Order No. 12 series of 2023 which temporarily modifies the tariff rate for electric vehicles and components.

The order, however, did not cover electric motorcycles and other two-wheeled electric vehicles.

Under EO 12, only kick scooters, self-balancing cycles, bicycles, and pocket motorcycles with auxiliary motors not exceeding 250 watts and a maximum speed of 25 kilometers per hour have zero percent import duties, while electric motorcycles are still subject to a 30% tariff rate.

For his part, Stratbase ADR Institute president Victor Andres Manhit urged for the revision of the EO to include e-motorcycles in the tax relief.

Mobility advocacy group

FSUPPORT, P10

Ashortage

of supply in local pork is seen in the coming months due to the African Swine Fever (ASF), projections from the National Livestock Program (NLP) showed.

According to data from the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), 17 provinces in 10 regions have active ASF cases.

NLP projections showed that the shortage would be felt starting April, and would intensify by June.

Nic Briones of the Pork Producers Federation of the Philippines lamented the government’s supposed lack of support to affected hog raisers, saying it affects the country’s livestock supply.

Briones said hog raisers in the Visayas have been greately affected by ASF.

“Buong region 6, kasama na Iloilo, Capiz, Roxas, tinatamaan. Tuluy-tuloy na yan, di na yan mapipigil, hanggang maubos ang mga backyard raisers. Ang Cebu ganon din, napasok. Tuluy-tuloy na rin iyan,” Briones said.

Briones said the government must rethink policies in respond- ing to ASF-affected areas.

He added hograisers must receive P10,000 per culled swine to encourage them to repopulate.

But the Department of Agriculture (DA) said that the country has an “enough supply” of frozen imported pork.

It also downplayed the looming shortage, saying this was only based on projects.

“Kung nakikita natin ang projection, talagang kukulangin tayo and that’s the time na sinasabi ko nga kanina, if we have the final figure, then we can say na ilan ba, if mag-iimport tayo, ilan ang vol-