Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary William Dar said that the declaration of a state of calamity due to the prevalence of African Swine Fever (ASF) in the country was a "much-needed shot-in-the-arm" in the efforts to overcome the lingering problem.

"We consider the Presidential Proclamation No. 1143 as the much-needed 'shot-in-the-arm' as it will allow local government units (LGUs) to set aside part of their Local Risk Reduction and Management Fund or commonly known as calamity fund for quick response purposes, and to allocate for the prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response, rehabilitation and recovery that may be brought by the ASF incidence in their respective areas," Dar said on Wednesday, May 12.

On May 10, the President signed Proclamation No. 1143, declaring a state of calamity throughout the Philippines due to the ASF outbreak.

"The Proclamation will also enable us to partner with the LGUs -- from the provincial, city, municipal and barangays -- and hog raisers' groups and the private sector to craft and implement their respective ASF contingency plan, anchored on strong and sustained biosecurity, surveillance, monitoring and protection measures, covering both ASF-affected and ASF-free areas," Dar added.

Under Proclamation No. 1143, the country will remain under the state of calamity for one year, unless earlier lifted or extended as circumstances may warrant.

"We believe this will give swine industry stakeholders enough time to build defenses for areas that remain unaffected by what is termed as the COVID-19 of the hog sector,” the secretary further said.

The agriculture department had requested the declaration of a state of calamity back in March this year, a call that was supported by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) through a resolution passed on April 20, 2021.

DA-Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) Director Reildrin Morales said that since the current wave of ASF was first reported locally in August 2019, the disease has spread to 12 regions, 46 provinces, 502 cities and municipalities, and 2,652 barangays.

As a result, “over three million pigs have been lost, causing a contraction in pork supply and an unprecedented increase in the price of pork."

Morales said that under the state of calamity proclamation, LGUs can provide substantial resources for ASF control and prevention hrough strict implementation of biosecurity measures.

The LGUs can fund other ASF-related activities like provision of personal protective gears and needed equipment for quarantine and checkpoint personnel; establishment and maintenance of ASF biosecurity checkpoints; implementation of ASF information campaign in partnership with the DA-BAI, hog raisers' groups, and the private sector; procurement of test kits, biologics, and other needed equipment and materials; and the strengthening of diagnostic capability to support early warning system, surveillance, and monitoring.

The DA-BAI will work closely with LGUs to ensure that their ASF contingency and action plans are aligned and consistent with the overall plan of the national government, he added.