MEAT HOLIDAY. Several meat shops at the Paco Public Market in Manila declare a "holiday" as Executive Order 124, which imposes a 60-day price ceiling on pork and chicken meat, took effect on Monday (Feb. 8, 2021). Agriculture Secretary William Dar urged the public to try on other sources of protein as they exert efforts to stabilize the prices of pork in Metro Manila. (PNA photo by Avito Dalan)
MANILA – As empty meat stalls in some Metro Manila markets greeted the implementation of the 60-day price ceiling on pork and chicken prices, some vegans and vegetarians urged consumers to skip meat consumption.
“No meat, no problem,” Gel Estrada, an active member of the group Manila Vegans shared his thoughts on Tuesday in a group post asking if they can skip eating meat for a week, in reference to the pork holiday.
The public post that read: “Kakayanin mo bang hindi kumain ng manok at baboy sa loob ng isang linggo? (Do you dare not eat chicken and pork for a week?)” sparked the conversation of group members with some even saying a pork-restrictive diet is their best choice.
Another group member Dolores Freida Lawan Zin mirrored this thought saying, “okay lang sa akin kahit walang manok at baboy. Tokwa, gulay, at prutas okay na ako (it’s alright with me not having chicken and pork. Just vegetables and fruits are okay)”.
Meanwhile, some opinions have provoked a long-time criticism that goes against the practice of veganism: with the absence of meat in one’s diet, how can one sustain a job that requires physical labor?
One of the page administrators, Carmela Fernando, shared in an interview with the Philippine News Agency that her strength remains the same even when she stopped consuming meat five years ago.
“I started five years ago. I'm asthmatic, prediabetic, and am a working hands-on mom with no helper. Right now I'm a junk food vegan but back when I was eating whole food (fresh produce, minimal artificial products), I was at my strongest,” she said.
On the other hand, she said she would often feel sluggish and bloated when she was still eating meat.
“People would not want to attribute a weakness towards something they aren't willing to give up. We don't get our energy from meat, we get it from carbs (complex carbs provide longer-lasting energy than simple carbs),” she added.
As part of their cause, the group would often share creative recipes made from 100-percent vegan ingredients. These include marinated tofu, eggplant salad, among others.
Other options
The Department of Agriculture (DA) has called on the public to try on other sources of protein while they are working on stabilizing the prices of meat products through Executive Order 124.
To guarantee that other sources of protein such as chicken will remain in the buying capacity of an average Filipino consumer, the price ceiling for dressed chicken in Metro Manila public markets are PHP160 per kilo as stipulated in EO 124.
The EO also imposes a price ceiling of PHP270 per kilo for "kasim" (pork shoulder) and "pigue" (leg) and PHP300 per kilo for "liempo" (belly).
To also protect the sellers, the DA vouched it will extend the zero-interest loans as operating capital to market vendors’ associations in Metro Manila public markets.
“This will enable them to buy pork carcasses directly from hog raisers and major agricultural commodities from farmers’ cooperatives and associations (FCAs), and sell these at reasonable prices to consumers in Metro Manila,” Agriculture Secretary William Dar said.
“We are initiating this market vendors’ financing program to institutionalize mutual partnership between them and FCAs, and create a ‘win-win’ situation benefiting producers, retailers and consumers alike,” he said, adding that the DA is seeking their cooperation to ease up the tight hog supply situation and temper high pork prices in Metro Manila. (PNA)
