Quezon City waives rent for pork, chicken vendors

MANILA, Philippines — Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte yesterday ordered the waiver of rental fees in public markets for pork and chicken vendors affected by the price surge and the cap imposed by the national government.

“We will waive rental fees in public markets for pork and chicken until such time that the subsidized supply is already available to them,” said Belmonte.

“We are also strongly encouraging private markets to do the same,” she added.

Several meat vendors in Metro Manila reportedly staged a pork holiday after the government imposed a 60-day price cap following a surge in prices in recent weeks.

Vendors said they would not be able to sell within the cap, citing the cost of supply coming from traders.

The national government said it would subsidize the cost of pork shipments from other provinces to lower the cost of those being sold in Metro Manila.

Belmonte yesterday joined Agriculture Secretary William Dar, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Chairman Benhur Abalos and other government officials in the conduct of price monitoring in Quezon City markets.

Personnel from the city’s market development and administration department are also conducting regular inspection and monitoring to ensure compliance to the price ceiling imposed by the national government.

The cap limits pork shoulder or kasim to P270 per kilo, belly or liempo to P300 and chicken to P160 per kilo.