SEN. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go on Monday urged the Department of Agriculture (DA) to lay down long-term solutions towards food security in the face of alarming increases in the prices of food products.

“In these extraordinary times, the government must act swiftly to address the needs of less fortunate Filipinos. Ensuring affordable prices of agricultural products remains to be one of the priorities of this administration,” Go said in his manifestation during the virtual hearing of the Committee on Agriculture, Food and Agrarian Reform.

He commended President Rodrigo Duterte for issuing Executive Order 124, which addresses the spiraling prices of pork and chicken products by imposing a price ceiling for two months in Metro Manila.

“This urgent measure, under our Price Act, is necessary to lessen the adverse impacts of the natural calamities that ravaged our country. It ensures that meat products remain affordable and accessible to the public and also prevents price manipulation,” the senator said.

He appealed to Agriculture Secretary William Dar, Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon Lopez and the private sector to monitor the food prices and help each other protect the public from widespread hunger.

He also appealed to the meat traders to comply with the price ceiling for meat products, and refrain from resorting to inimical actions like closing their stalls and refusing to sell their goods as a form of protest.

“Huwag na po muna kayong magsagawa ng ‘holiday’ sa mga merkado dahil ang mahihirapan po dito kapag tumaas ang presyo ng pork at chicken, ay ‘yung mga ordinaryong Pilipino, yun pong mga kababayan nating naghihirap po, yung mga ‘isang kahig, isang tuka. Kaunting tiis lamang po at matatapos din ang problemang ito (Refrain from making ‘holiday’ in the markets because it is the ordinary Filipinos who will suffer every time the prices of pork and chicken go up. A little more patience and this problem will soon end),” Go appealed.