Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda on Wednesday offered legislative support for the agricultural department’s programs to contain the spread and mitigate the effect of H5N1 strain of avian flu among duck and quail farms in Bulacan and Pampanga.
Salceda, the chairperson of the House of Representatives Committee on Ways and Means and co-chair of the House Economic Stimulus and Recovery Cluster, made the statement as he committed to help the Department of Agriculture (DA) to fight a burgeoning outbreak of the bird flu.
“I write to you to offer my full support, as Co-Chair of the House Economic Stimulus and Recovery Cluster, for the Department of Agriculture’s efforts to contain the recently discovered H5N1 strain of influenza among duck and quail farms,” Salceda said in a letter to Agriculture Secretary William Dar.
Salceda offered to request the Bureau of Customs, which he oversees as House tax chair, to strengthen efforts to fight avian flu and ensure that smuggled poultry is condemned immediately upon apprehension.
Salceda also said he will request the Philippine Ports Authority “and the Department of Transportation to work with your department to craft guidelines to strengthen avian flu prevention measures.”
Salceda also offered “[a]ny endorsement your Department may require, either to the President, the Chairman of the Economic Development Cluster, or the House leadership, to fund or support your efforts to fight this potential outbreak.”
In subsequent statements, Salceda also reiterated his call for the Senate to approve the charter of the Virology Institute of the Philippines (VIP), the proposed research institute for non-human viral infections and prevention.
“Viruses among animals and plants is just as common an occurrence as they are among humans. And, of course, zoonotic viruses that affect humans begin among animals anyway. So, we really need to be ahead of the curve and be able to research viruses that are specific to our context and to our national needs,” Salceda said.