DA asks LGUs to report state of calamity over ASF spread to access disaster funds
By Jel Santos
Local government units (LGUs) were urged by the Department of Agriculture (DA) to declare a state of calamity in order to access a disaster program budget amid African Swine Fever (ASF) incidents.

“This (declaring a state of calamity) will allow them to access disaster funds to combat ASF,” Bureau of Animal Industry deputy Director Arlene Vytiaco said.
According to Vytiaco, under the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) guidelines, provincial LGUs are compelled to declare a state of calamity if more than two of their municipalities have an outbreak.
Agriculture Undersecretary Deogracias Victor Savellano, on the other hand, said that compelling the local governments to report a state of calamity is part of the effort to curb ASF in the country.
Savellano also urged LGUs to supplement DA’s limited budget for ASF control as the deliberated budget of DA for vaccines for 2024 only amounts to P1.5 billion, adding that LGUs accessing its own funds will be a significant move to control the disease.
“Malaking bagay ang pag access ng LGU funds sa pakikipaglaban ng ASF. Sa amin sa DA, biosecurity war na ito. Ang laban namin ay sitio kada sitio, bara-barangay, muni- munisipyo at probi-probinsiya. Ngayong wala pang aprubadong bakuna, pag iingat na di kumalat ang ASF ang ating ginagawa (It is a huge thing to access LGU funds against ASF. For us in DA, this is biosecurity was. Our fight is in the communities, barangays, municipalities, and provinces. Now that there is still no approved vaccine, we are preventing the disease from spreading is what we are doing), ” said Savellano.
He also urged vaccine manufacturers to register and undergo testing and trials for the local market with the proper authorities.
Savellano believes that as there is no approved vaccine yet, the P1.5 billion budget should also be made available for biosecurity efforts.
There is also a need for a huge indemnification fund which will encourage hog raisers to report ASF as they will be compensated for reporting it, he added.
A state of calamity has been declared in Nueva Vizcaya due to ASF. The DA has already sent investigators, trained personnel, and supplies to the province as soon as it declared a state of calamity after its infected areas reached nine municipalities.