Push Admin

Better border controls, more checkpoints sought vs African Swine Fever

Article (news)

Andrea Taguines

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/172394525410334b1a2e93fd22d5974bd4edaf27d0136710c6739c91237b606593f992ea88922.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left"></span></span></span></div><p style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal">A member of the Bureau of Animal Industry of the Department of Agriculture disinfects a vehicle transporting hogs at an animal quarantine checkpoint along the Tagaytay-Nasugbu Highway in Tagaytay City on Friday as part of efforts to control the spread of African Swine Fever (ASF). The Department of Agriculture recently said it was eyeing the rollout out of ASF vaccines after 8 municipalities in Batangas declared a state of calamity due to the virus.</p>MANILA — The Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) on Saturday said it plans to beef up border controls in Metro Manila and nearby provinces to prevent the further spread of the African Swine Fever (ASF).<div></div><p>The agency, which is under the Department of Agriculture (DA), had just set up a new meat inspection checkpoint in San Jose Del Monte in Bulacan to prevent infected pigs from the south from getting to the northern provinces, which are repopulating their livestock.</p><p>The local government unit is helping with this initiative by deploying more manpower. San Jose Del Monte recorded its first case of ASF in one of its slaughterhouses.</p><p>“Galing from Taysan, Batangas (yung mga baboy). Yung slaughterhouse na &#x27;yun, under containment. Naisara at for disinfection po for five days… Ina-assure natin na ma-contain sana, hindi mag-spread sa mga farms po natin,” said Dr. Alejandro Sison from the Office of the City Veterinarian.</p><p>(The pig was from Taysan, Batangas. That slaughterhouse has been closed for five days for containment and disinfection. We assure the public that this will be contained and will not spread to our farms)</p><p>The BAI is also currently coordinating with the Province of Rizal so it can put up another checkpoint, particularly in the town of Rodriguez.</p><p>Meanwhile, there are now six meat inspection checkpoints across the National Capital Region (NCR) to ensure that the pigs being delivered to slaughterhouses and in markets are ASF-free.</p><p>But after assessing their operations these past four days, the BAI said it now needs to enlist the help of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority and local traffic enforcers.</p><p>“We are coordinating with our law enforcers na tumulong po na sitahin itong mga shippers na dumadaan sa mga arterial routes para lang maitakas nila yung kanilang sakay na livestock,” said Dr. Noverlee Calub, the overall supervisor of BAI’s checkpoints in NCR.</p><p>(We are coordinating with our law enforcement to apprehend shippers that slip their livestock through by using arterial routes)</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/2024/8/17/pork-producers-urge-gov-t-to-declare-national-state-of-calamity-due-to-asf-2020">RELATED: Pork producers urge gov&#x27;t to declare national state of calamity due to ASF</a></div><div><strong>NATIONAL STATE OF CALAMITY?</strong></div><p>Based on data from the BAI, 11 regions, 22 provinces and 64 municipalities are affected by ASF <span id="isPasted" style="caret-color:rgb(65, 65, 65);color:rgb(65, 65, 65)">as of August 8, 2024</span>.</p><p>The town of Lobo in Batangas province has been identified as ground zero for the outbreak.</p><p>The DA said it will begin distributing 10,000 ASF vaccine doses there and throughout the province on Tuesday, August 20.</p><p>It plans to import 600,000 vaccine doses in total.</p><p>But the Pork Producers Federation of the Philippines argues, that amount is too small considering the number of areas affected nationwide.</p><p>The group believes the government should declare a national state of calamity by now to expedite the procurement of more vaccines and increase the compensation given to affected hog raisers.</p><p>“Kailangan ng 6 million doses. Kailangan libre &#x27;yun para sa ating mga backyard, hindi nila kayang gumastos para sa bakuna,” said the group’s chairman Nic Briones, who is also <span id="isPasted" style="caret-color:rgb(65, 65, 65);color:rgb(65, 65, 65)">AGAP party-list representative.</span></p><div><span id="isPasted">(We need 6 million doses, and those have to be given for free to backyard raisers. They cannot afford to buy vaccines) </span></div><p>&quot;Sa indemnification fund, kakailanganin ng mga P5 billion… Hanggang ngayon, &#x27;yun namang sinabi na ibabayad, pangako pa lang. Eh ang dami nang namatay so kailangan i-roll out din agad,” added Briones.</p><p>(The indemnification fund will need around P5 billion. What they said would be paid out remains a promise. So many pigs have died, so they need to roll that out as soon as possible)</p><p>But the DA sees no need for an emergency declaration at this time, saying its interventions have been effective so far.</p><p>“Mahirap na madaliin natin itong pagbabakuna. Para ma-prevent natin na may mangyari na lalong sumama ang effect sa mga baboy, ang mangyayari ay pipili lang tayo ng isang lugar para properly controlled,” noted DA Assistant Secretary Dante Palabrica. </p><p>(It is difficult to rush vaccinaton. We have to choose a place that is properly controlled to prevent incidents that will harm the pigs even more)</p><p>Palabrica added the government has a Quick Response Fund to use for indemnification.</p><p>“Ito naman ay madaling ma-replenish. May pondo pa ang DA para dito sa problemang ito.”</p><p>(That is easily replenished. The DA has enough funds to address this problem)</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9wm-s-GLWNY?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><br/></div>

<p>Based on data from the Bureau of Animal Industry, 11 regions, 22 provinces and 64 municipalities are affected by ASF as of August 8, 2024.</p>

Based on data from the Bureau of Animal Industry, 11 regions, 22 provinces and 64 municipalities are affected by ASF as of August 8, 2024.