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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Villafuerte explains why a state of calamity must be declared in all ASF-stricken areas

Villafuerte explains why a state of calamity must be declared in all ASF-stricken areas

Published Apr 12, 2023 12:53 am
Camarines Sur 2nd district Rep. LRay Villafuerte (Facebook)


A ranking congressman is prodding authorities to declare a state of calamity in all African Swine Fever (ASF)-affected areas in the country. According to Camarines Sur 2nd district Rep. LRay Villafuerte, this would allow national government to carry out emergency measures and stave off feared scenarios of dwindling pork supply, bigger imports, and runaway retail prices. Specifically, Villafuerte said a state of calamity will let the government allocate a portion of its contingency funds for the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) to quickly acquire anti-ASF vaccines for a nationwide immunization drive. Villafuerte, majority leader of the powerful Commission on Appointments (CA), earlier asked the BAI to seriously consider carrying out immunization of hogs against ASF once the vaccine--sourced from Vietnam--is proven effective in the Philippine setting. The former deputy speaker for finance also said that a state of calamity will enable the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to look for contingency funds for such an emergency purchase of ASF vaccines, which the BAI can administer to domestic pigs starting this year. “Amid the proposed initial rollout of vaccines this year, the DBM and BAI can then work on a regular budget plan that can be incorporated into next year’s General Appropriations Act (GAA), so the bureau can continue this year’s vaccination drive in 2024,” said Villafuerte, whose province of is one of the 54 ASF-affected provinces in the country. “The BAI needs to take emergency steps, topped by a nationwide vax drive against ASF, to prevent the current hog virus problem from taking a turn for the worse," he added. “Preventing another upward spiral in pork prices in the retail market is the last thing we need at this time of continued elevated inflation, given how the runaway prices of such meat items after the ASF first resurfaced in the Philippines in 2019 had induced inflationary pressures that severely hurt Filipino consumers,” Villafuerte further said. The is an attached of the Department of Agriculture (DA).

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BAI African Swine Fever State of calamity lray villafuerte
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