Million-dollar questions

I read an interesting piece in Daily Tribune regarding the “ham incident” involving Marinduque Governor Presbitero Velasco Jr. which is evident of a double standard when it comes to the province’s policies and ordinances.

Understandably, the protagonists in this article are clamoring for “justice” since they were not able to bring in several hams of a famous brand as they were intercepted at the Balanacan port.

It makes sense that the provincial government has banned the entry of pork and pork products in the province due to the African swine fever scare which, if objectively looked at, is a valid reason since the province was really hit with the dreaded hog disease.

But as I remember, there was a previous statement that was issued by the company producing the said ham back in 2019 and it assured the public of the safety and quality of its products after certain processed products of an unidentified brand tested positive for the African swine fever virus.

It stressed that the products are produced in company-controlled facilities and processing plants that have passed all stringent requirements of the Bureau of Animal Industry, National Meat Inspection Service and the Food and Drug Administration.

And the clincher here was that it showed a study that ASF does not affect humans and therefore does not pose any risk to human health. It is a viral disease impacting only pigs, not people.

Now, the question is, does the governor of Marinduque really have double standards?

If what the article said is true — that the governor himself gifted his constituents with the same brand of ham that was intercepted at the Balanacan port — then there’s no doubt about it. He has some explaining to do.

To note, Marinduque has no meat processing plants and almost all pork and pork products come from outside the province, which also leads to another surprising statement that the protagonists were able to purchase hotdogs from local stores.

So, what did the provincial government do to handle those pork products and processed meat products before they were distributed to the local stores in the province? Did it also undergo stringent inspections? Why were they not intercepted if the province is banning them?

These questions may still need answers, but one thing — in my opinion — is for sure: The governor seems to have a double standard, a trait that local and national public officials should despise.

There should be at least a clear line between strictly implementing a policy and abeyance for the benefit of those in power.