Malacañang has deemed necessary to adopt a “nationwide approach” to rein in the spread of African swine flu (ASF) in the country as the supply of pork continues to dwindle and prices shoot up.
While President Rodrigo Duterte has declared a state of calamity throughout the Philippines for one year due to the ASF outbreak, it is Luzon which bore the brunt of the outbreak.
Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said it is necessary for Visayas and Mindanao to also be placed under a state of calamity since they supply Luzon with hogs and frozen pork meant to eventually bring down prices.
An entire nation approach is needed because while we are re-populating, it is necessary that the transport of ASF-free sows to Manila will also be facilitated,” Roque said in an interview over Radyo Pilipinas.
Through Proclamation 1143 inked on May 10, Duterte explained that the declaration of a state of calamity will allow the national government and local government units (LGUs) to utilize appropriate funds, including the Quick Response Fund, in their response efforts to contain the continuing spread of ASF and restore normalcy in ASF-hit areas.
“The ASF is responsible for the significant reduction in the country’s swine population by around three million hogs, resulting in more than PHP100 billion in losses due to the local hog sector and allied industries, and leading to increased retail prices of pork products,” the new proclamation read.
According to Roque, the Quick Response Fund in the declaration will do away with delays in providing assistance to areas ASF-stricken areas.
Duterte declared a state of calamity upon the recommendation of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.
The ASF outbreak has already spread to 12 regions, 46 provinces, 493 cities and municipalities, and 2,561 villages nationwide since it hit the country in 2019.
Agriculture Secretary William Dar on Wednesday welcomed the issuance of Presidential Proclamation 1143 declaring a state of calamity nationwide due to African swine fever, saying it is a much-needed shot-in-the-arm.
It will allow local government units (LGUs) to set aside part of their calamity fund for quick response fund (QRF), and to allocate funds for the prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response, rehabilitation, and recovery that may be brought by the ASF incidence in their respective areas, Dar said in a statement.
The proclamation, issued on Monday (May 10) by President Rodrigo Duterte enables the DA to partner with LGUs and hog raisers’ groups and the private sector to craft and implement their respective ASF contingency plan.
In mid-March this year, Dar has requested the declaration through a resolution that was passed on April 20, 2021.
Since the first reported case in August 2019, the DA said that ASF has spread to 12 regions, 46 provinces, 502 cities and municipalities, and 2,652 barangays.
Over 3 million pigs have been lost so far due to ASF, the data showed.
Senator Nancy Binay called on the DA to also focus on bio-security and border controls and fix surveillance systems.
“Hopefully, we can repopulate from commercial to backyard stocks as well as address the supply deficit in local pork products at the soonest possible time,” Binay said.