Department of Agriculture (DA) Undersecretary Asis Perez assured protesting hog raisers on Friday that the department would support their concerns within the bounds of the law, as industry representatives pressed the government to suspend pork imports for at least four months.

Perez faced the protesters outside the DA office along Elliptical Road in Quezon City on Oct. 23, saying the department could not take measures that violate existing laws but would do what it could to assist local hog producers.

“Pero hanggang abot sa kaya ng batas, titiyakin ko sa inyo, ang aming kagawaran, lalong-lalo na ang aming sekretaryo, kasama po niyo,” Perez told the protesters.

However, the hog raisers insisted that a proposed two-month suspension would not be enough to protect the local industry. They urged the government to extend the import ban to at least four months and act sooner to prevent further losses.

One protest leader claimed the industry was losing 350 million pesos daily, warning that implementing the ban only on Nov. 15 could result in an estimated 7.7 billion pesos in losses.

“7.7 billion ang patuloy na mawawala kapag ang effectivity ng import ban ng karne ay sa November 15 lang gagawin”

“Ay para na naman kaming natamaan ng tatlong super typhoon, kasama na yung super El Niño.”

The leader also warned that more hog raisers could be forced to close their operations if the government delayed action, stressing that the group would not accept further losses while waiting for the import restrictions to take effect.

The protesters called on the DA to prioritize local hog producers and reconsider the proposed timeline, while Perez reiterated the department's commitment to help within the limits of the law.