MANILA -- The Department of Agriculture said it will investigate the low compliance of pork retailers with the agency's maximum suggested retail price.

According to Agriculture Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa, spokesperson of the Department, only 20 percent of the 170 retailers surveyed followed the MSRP. Under the measure, retailers are urged to sell liempo at price not higher than P380 per kilo, while pigue and ham are at P350 per kilo.

"But nevertheless, isang linggo pa lang naman yung nakalipas. Kung tingnan natin yung nangyari sa bigas, nung nag-start ang MSRP, talagang hindi naman din gano'n kabilis yung compliance. Nagkakaroon ng correction sa market," De Mesa said.

MSRP is a non-coercive measure designed to pull down prices.Some retailers earlier said that following the MSRP would mean absorbing losses as the farmgate price for pork is already higher than the MSRP.

"Yung pork, supposed to be, mas mabilis ang compliance. Kasi yung karneng baboy, pag kinatay yan, dapat ubusin yan within the day eh Hindi kagayang ng bigas na pwede mong iimbak for a longer period of time," De Mesa said.

"So dapat itong karneng baboy, mas mabilis yung dapat pag-comply nila with the MSRP. So ito, pag-aaralan mabuti. Ano yung mga issues?" he added.

Just last week, officials of the DA conducted an inspection at the Balintawak Market where they noted that pork prices have started going down. However, this was not the case as liempo in some wet markets is still selling at P470/kilo.