MANILA, Philippines — The Senate will “dig deeper” into how lowering tariffs on pork imports will impact the country’s food security, Senator Panfilo Lacson said Thursday.
The Senate Committee of the Whole is set to probe the “tongpats” (kickback) scheme that Lacson earlier said could amount to P6 billion in kickbacks per year if President Rodrigo Duterte approves the Department of Agriculture’s proposal to lower tariffs and increase import allocation on pork imports.
Lacson said the Senate also intends to look into the reasons “that brought the hog and poultry industry to this pathetic state.”
On Wednesday, Duterte ordered the temporary reduction of tariffs on p…
Keep on reading: Senate probe to ‘dig deeper’ into pork tariff cut impact on food security – Lacson