MANILA – With the proliferation of frozen imported meat due to smuggling, lawmakers and hog raisers yesterday called on the public to boycott these imported meat as these may be "unsafe" for human consumption.

AGAP party-list Rep. Nicanor Briones, Agham party-list Rep. Angelo Palmones and Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Teddy Casiño also said smuggling and over-importation are killing the livestock industry.

To cut down on the losses, the lawmakers said the declaration of a "pork and chicken holiday" by hog growers is "inevitable."

DTI unsure of effects of
lowered flour price

The Department of Trade and Industry in Negros Occidental is still unsure about the immediate impact on the prices of flour-based products after the report that the value of wheat in the world market decreased two months ago, Maximo Ravena, DTI chief for the consumer welfare and trade regulatory division, said yesterday.

DTI-Manila had earlier reported that flour millers are expected to reduce their price to P800-P830 for every 25-kilogram bag from their present selling cost of P900 to P940.

Ravena said they are monitoring prices of all basic commodities and are yet to determine whether flour-based products have increased or decreased in cost.

Deadline extension granted
for Q2 city taxes, licenses

The Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod granted Wednesday the request of the Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry to extend the deadline for payment of city taxes and licenses for the second quarter of 2012.

Councilor Caesar Distrito, chairman of the SP Committee on Laws, Ordinances and Good Government, sponsored the approval of the request to extend the deadline to April 30, 2012, a press release from his office said.

He said the deadline for the payment of the taxes for the second quarter was supposed to be April 15, 2012, but in consideration for the business establishments in Bacolod City, it will be extended until the end of the month.