SEIZED HOGS. Personnel of the Bureau of Animal Industry seize 60 hogs at the Tandang Sora checkpoint in Quezon City after its transporters failed to present valid documents on Aug. 15, 2024. Agri Party-list Rep. Wilbert T. Lee on Thursday (Aug. 22) urged the Department of Agriculture to establish more biosecurity and surveillance checkpoints along major roads and seaports to curb the spread of African swine fever in the country. (Photo courtesy of Department of Agriculture)
MANILA – Agri Party-list Rep. Wilbert T. Lee on Thursday urged the Department of Agriculture (DA) to establish more biosecurity and surveillance checkpoints along major roads and seaports to curb the spread of African swine fever (ASF) in the country.
“Napaka-crucial ng mahigpit na pagbabantay para hindi na kumalat ang ASF na dahilan ng sobrang pagkalugi ng ating mga magbababoy. (Strict vigilance is very crucial so that ASF does not spread again, which is the cause of excessive losses for our hog farmers),” Lee said in a news release.
“Milyon-milyon po ang nalulugi sa ating mga hog raisers. Kaya dapat dagdagan pa ng DA ang checkpoints nila para rito, lalo na may mga ulat na kumakalat na ang mga baboy palabas sa mga lugar na may ASF patungo sa ibang parte ng Luzon (Our hog raisers are losing millions. So the DA should increase their checkpoints for this, especially since there are reports that the pigs are spreading out of the areas with ASF to other parts of Luzon),” he added.
Earlier, the DA’s Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) seized two trucks in a Quezon City checkpoint carrying infected hogs reportedly from Quezon province. The trucks were reportedly on their way to Pangasinan province.
Based on data from the BAI, 11 regions, 22 provinces and 64 municipalities are affected by ASF as of Aug. 8, 2024.
Among the provinces with the highest number of affected barangays include North Cotabato with 62, Occidental Mindoro with 57, Batangas with 38, Sultan Kudarat with 22, Quezon with 17, and La Union with 14.
Lee said the DA should partner with the Philippine National Police Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG) as well as the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) to augment BAI manning checkpoints, aside from tapping personnel of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).
“While we laud the BAI for proactively looking into tapping MMDA and local traffic enforcers to man checkpoints in Metro Manila, all hands must be on deck to genuinely curb ASF. We have force multipliers available from the PNP, HPG and from PPA that could be deployed should the BAI decide to set up more checkpoints along major highways and ports,” the Bicolano lawmaker said.
There are currently six meat inspection checkpoints across the National Capital Region (NCR) to ensure that the pigs being delivered to slaughterhouses and markets are ASF-free.
These are located in Commonwealth, Mindanao Avenue, Tandang Sora, and EDSA Balintawak in Quezon City; and Marulas and Malanday in Valenzuela City.
Biosecurity and surveillance checkpoints were also established in Barangay Turbina, Calamba, Laguna; Star Tollway, Sto. Tomas, Batangas; animal quarantine checkpoint in Barangay Amuyong, Alfonso, Cavite; and in San Jose del Monte in Bulacan.
“Ayaw natin na maging epidemya itong ASF lalo pa’t wala pang sapat na bakuna sa bansa laban dito. Dapat doble-kayod ang gobyerno dito at tapatan ng agrisibong aksyon at mabilis na solusyon ang pagpigil sa pagkalat ng sakit (We don’t want ASF to become an epidemic, especially since the country has no adequate vaccines to address it. Aggressive action and speedy solutions from government are needed to prevent its spread),” Lee said.
He also urged the government into preparing to declare a state of national calamity should ASF spread beyond what could be controlled by the ASF vaccines, which have been earlier procured.
Earlier, Lee filed House Resolution No. 1956 to investigate the escalating impact of ASF while calling relevant government agencies to provide assistance to hog raisers and prevent possible hike in pork prices.
“Filipinos deserve better so we should demand better protocols to protect the livelihood of local food producers and welfare of our consumers. Tulong-tulong po tayo (Let’s help each other),” Lee said. (PNA)
