How much should meat cost in Tabuk City? New ordinance sets price ceilings for pork, beef, carabeef and chicken

TABUK CITY, Kalinga — How much should consumers pay for a kilo of pork, beef, carabeef or chicken in Tabuk City? And what protection do local meat vendors and hog raisers have against unreasonable pricing?

These are among the questions addressed by City Ordinance No. 036, Series of 2026, which establishes price ceilings for livestock, poultry and meat products sold within the city and imposes penalties on dealers and retailers who violate its provisions.

Authored by Councilor Juan Thomas T. Duyan, the ordinance was enacted on October 6, 2026, during a regular session of the Sangguniang Panlungsod and later approved by the City Mayor.

The measure seeks to protect consumers from unreasonable price increases, hoarding, profiteering and price manipulation while providing a pricing framework that recognizes differences in meat cuts, processing costs and product quality.

How much will pork cost?

Under Annex A, or the Tabuk City Standard Meat Price Matrix, the maximum retail price for locally slaughtered pork varies depending on the cut.

The following are the prescribed price ceilings per kilogram:

₱290 – Pork chop or high-yield lean meat

₱290 – Liempo or pork belly

₱290 – Kasim/paypay or pork shoulder

₱290 – Pigue or pork leg/ham (lean)

₱290 – Lomo or pork tenderloin

₱240 – Sirloin

₱260 – Tadyang/costillas/buto-buto or pork ribs and spare ribs

₱250 – Pata or pork hock/trotters

₱240 – Maskara/ulo or pork head and face

₱260 – Atay and puso or pork innards

₱210 – Bato and bituka or pork offal

This classification means that pork products will not have a single uniform price. Premium and lean cuts, belly and shoulder have a higher ceiling than certain offal and other parts.

What about beef and carabeef?

The ordinance also sets separate price ceilings for locally slaughtered beef and carabeef, or meat from cattle and water buffalo.

The prescribed maximum retail prices per kilogram are:

₱380 – Prime lean meat, including lomo, sirloin and tapadera

₱330 – Chuck, brisket and shanks

₱250 – Bones with meat or buto-buto

₱250 – Internal organs such as atay and puso

₱230 – Tuwalya

The pricing classification recognizes the difference between prime meat cuts, meat with bones and edible internal organs.

How much should chicken cost?

For poultry, the ordinance sets the following maximum retail prices:

₱190 per kilogram – Fully dressed whole chicken

₱210 per kilogram – Commercial choice cuts, including breasts, legs, thighs and wings

₱160 per kilogram – Chicken by-products, including atay, balunbalunan, paa and ulo

What is the reference price for live hogs?

Aside from retail prices, the ordinance also requires meat vendors to display the current city live-weight reference price.

Annex A indicates a minimum farmgate price reference of ₱190 per kilogram for hogs. This is intended to provide a reference for transactions involving hog raisers and buyers.

The ordinance prohibits coercing, intimidating or unduly influencing hog raisers to sell their animals below the minimum farmgate price established under the ordinance or applicable executive orders.

Why are meat vendors required to display price boards?

Under Section 6, all meat vendors must display an updated price board in a prominent location at their stalls, talipapa or stores.

The board must be written in clear English, Tagalog or Ilocano and must indicate two important details: the current city live-weight reference price and the official retail price per kilogram based on the classification of meat cuts.

The requirement is intended to help consumers compare prices and know the prescribed ceiling before making a purchase.

The ordinance also directs covered retailers to observe the prices stated in Annex A, or the Tabuk City Standard Meat Price Matrix.

What practices are prohibited?

Section 8 identifies several acts that meat dealers, retailers and hog raisers are prohibited from committing. These include:

• Selling meat products above the price ceilings established under Annex A or relevant executive orders;

• Engaging in hoarding, market manipulation or price-fixing cartels;

• Altering, concealing or failing to display the required price board or price tags;

• Using uncalibrated, tampered or defective weighing scales;

• Selling meat from unauthorized or illegal slaughter operations, including uninspected meat; and

• Coercing or intimidating hog raisers into selling below the minimum farmgate price.

  
  

These provisions cover not only consumer protection but also the integrity of meat selling and transactions between livestock producers and buyers.

How much is the penalty for violations?

The ordinance provides escalating administrative and regulatory penalties depending on the number of offenses.

First offense: ₱2,000 fine and a formal warning.

Second offense: ₱3,000 fine and a 15-day suspension of the market stall lease contract or business permit.

Third offense: ₱5,000 fine, permanent revocation of the business permit or stall lease, and closure of the establishment.

The ordinance also provides that violations may be subject to prosecution under the Price Act (Republic Act No. 7581) or the Consumer Act of the Philippines (Republic Act No. 7394), where applicable.

Can prices still change during emergencies?

The ordinance recognizes that prices may be affected by emergencies, calamities, shortages and extraordinary market disruptions.

Under Section 7, the Local Price Coordinating Council (LPCC) may recommend temporary price ceilings during such circumstances. These recommendations, however, are subject to approval by the Sangguniang Panlungsod and applicable laws.

This provision gives the city a mechanism to respond to unusual market conditions while maintaining the established pricing framework.

What does this mean for consumers and meat vendors?

For consumers, the ordinance provides a guide to the maximum prices they should encounter when buying meat in Tabuk City. It also gives them a basis for questioning prices that exceed the prescribed ceilings.

For meat vendors, it establishes clear pricing classifications and requires transparency through visible price boards. For hog raisers, the minimum farmgate reference is intended to protect them from being pressured into selling below the prescribed price.

Ultimately, the effectiveness of the ordinance will depend on how consistently it is implemented, how regularly prices are monitored and how violations are addressed.

The measure seeks to balance two important concerns: keeping meat affordable for consumers while ensuring that livestock producers and legitimate meat vendors are treated fairly in the local market.