Senate leader demands crackdown on pork price manipulation scheme

MANILA — Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel "Migz" Zubiri has challenged Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. to demonstrate decisive action against pork price manipulators, smugglers, and excessive meat imports affecting the domestic market.

The appeal comes as thousands of backyard hog raisers across the Philippines grapple with depressed farmgate prices, even as consumers continue to shoulder substantially higher retail costs at market stalls and supermarkets.

Zubiri's call underscores the widening gap between what farmers receive for their livestock and what Filipino families pay for pork products—a disparity that regulators and lawmakers have increasingly attributed to market manipulation and illicit trade. The Senate leader framed the challenge as a test of the agriculture chief's ability to provide strong leadership during a period of economic strain for the livestock sector.

The push for enforcement action reflects mounting pressure on the Department of Agriculture to address longstanding complaints about supply-side distortions and illegal importation that analysts say undermine domestic producers while failing to translate into meaningful savings for consumers.