The Department of Agriculture (DA) set the maximum suggested retail prices (MSRP) on pork in Metro Manila in a bid to shield consumers from high prices amid the Christmas season.

In a new administrative circular, DA said price of pork liempo will be capped at P370 per kilo, while kasim and pigue will be priced no higher than P330 per kilo, effective December 5, across public and private wet markets in the National Capital Region.

“We have to restore some sanity in the retail price of pork, a favorite protein source among Filipinos that is in high demand, especially during the Christmas season,” said Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., adding that the new MSRP levels were set after consultations with meat retailers and other players throughout the pork value chain.

The DA said its Agribusiness Marketing and Assistance Service had reported retail prices spiking to unusually high levels in recent weeks, with liempo reaching as much as P480 per kilo in early November, heightening consumer anxiety ahead of the peak holiday buying period.

“Those prices are absurd given how farm gate prices have fallen recently, threatening the viability of small and medium-sized hog raisers,” said Tiu Laurel.

Earlier, The DA struck an agreement with hog producers to establish a minimum farm-gate price of P210 per kilo—a move aimed at protecting growers’ margins after a period of depressed buying prices that threatened to push backyard and commercial raisers into losses.

DA Undersecretary for Livestock Danta Palabrica has recommended the MSRP after a detailed supply-and-demand assessment showed that local production is adequate to meet Metro Manila’s requirements, according to the Agriculture Department.

The said findings were reinforced during a November 22, 2025 online consultative meeting with pork industry stakeholders, where concerns over holiday-driven volatility were aired.

The DA said it invoked a law that empowers the agency to issue suggested retail prices to stabilize markets for essential food commodities.

The Agriculture Department said the new MSRP for pork takes effect immediately upon publication and remains in force until revoked, superseding any conflicting orders. For consumers bracing for holiday expenses—and hog growers seeking predictability—the DA’s move aims to bring order to one of the season’s most sensitive staples.