Promptly preemptive

THERE HAS yet to be a single reported case of African swine fever (ASF) in Pampanga, but the provincial government is not leaving anything to chance.

"Gusto po nating tiyakin na hindi makakapasok sa atin ang ASF at siguruhin na hindi madidisgrasya ang kabuhayan at kalusugan ng mga taga-Pampanga." So declared Gov. Dennis “Delta” Pineda, promptly issuing last Friday, Sept. 13, Executive Order 34 imposing a total ban on the ingress of live pigs into the province as protective shield over the swine industry and the meat processors for which Pampanga is renowned. To safeguard public health as well.

"With respect to pork and pork-related products, only those with National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) seal or with appropriate Certificate of Meat Inspection issued by NMIS shall be allowed entry into the province, with the exception of those coming from ASF-affected area," read a part of the EO.

As a matter of course, it is the meat processing industry that puts the greater stake in the ASF issue for Pampanga, notwithstanding its ranking only third – at 51,415 metric tons live weight – largest swine producer in Central Luzon, to Bulacan’s 259,677 MT, and Tarlac’s 98,591 MT. Per 2018 data of the Philippine Statistics Authority.

Arguably among the biggest food processing firms in the country and with the widest markets, unarguably with the tastiest products, are not only simply based in Pampanga or owned by cabalens – Mekeni Food Corp. and Pampanga’s Best, take a bow – but do comprise a large section of the Capampangan culinary tapestry, so to speak. Delta’s EO may have just saved not only an industry but part of the Capampangan soul there.

No sheer knee-jerk response to an impending crisis is the EO though.

Right at the onset of hush-hush whisperings of suspicious death of pigs in then still-undisclosed localities, Delta already mobilized the hog raisers in the province to ensure the state of health of their livestock and the cleanliness of their farms to keep Pampanga free from the African swine fever virus.

“I know that this requires multi-level and multi-sectoral cooperation. Let us put appropriate measures in place in your pig farms and even in the entire province to avert the possible entry of the dreaded African swine fever. Let us not allow this virus to enter in Pampanga.” So, Delta rallied the hog raisers in that meeting of Aug. 24.

Among those agreed upon in that meeting were for the hog raisers to establish and maintain footbaths in all entry points of their farms; and ensure that bio-security measures are in place therein, and even at the slaughterhouses.

Invoking transparency, the hog raisers, led by Toto Gonzales of Magalang town, also expressed willingness to open their farms to local and national media if only to assure the public that whatever produce coming out of them is safe and suitable for human consumption.

Contemporaneous with his engagement with the hog raisers, Delta issued a memorandum to the local chief executives to institute preventive actions against ASF “as advised by the Department of Agriculture through Administrator Order No. 04-2019 on food safety measures and veterinary quarantine.”

Even prior to all these, Delta had already ordered the installation of “mandatory animal checkpoints” at the road ingresses to the province, most prominently at the boundary of Bulacan where, along with Rizal, the initial cases of suspected ASF were reported.

Delta’s task force

To oversee, undertake as well, contingencies on the swine fever issue, EO 34 also created the Pampanga ASF Task Force co-chaired by provincial veterinarian Dr. Augusto Baluyut and board member Atty. Jun Canlas, head of the sangguniang panlalawigan agriculture committee, with the veterinary quarantine station officer of the DA-Bureau of Animal Industry, provincial quarantine officer of the Bureau of Quarantine of the Department of Health, Philippine National Police provincial director, provincial health office, president of the Liga ng mga Barangay, and the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office as members.  

Yes, Delta is taking no chances. Pre-emption is core to prevention. Foremost in his mind the need for cooperation and coordination of all stakeholders needed to strengthen the implementation of preventive measures against the entry of ASF “and avoid what happened during the bird flu outbreak years ago.”

It was in August 2017 that Pampanga – San Luis town, specifically – became the epicenter of the country’s first bird flu outbreak.

A 1-km radius quarantine area within San Luis was imposed, with all fowls therein culled within the next 3 days to control the virus. A succeeding 7-km radius controlled area was declared, with the fowls and eggs there prevented from being  brought out.

The whole province was put in a state of calamity. With all poultry products from Pampanga prevented from entering other provinces, a near economic disaster was visited upon the chicken-and-egg industry, along with the allied industries of feeds, veterinary products, even KFC, Jollibee, and McDonald’s.

The impact of the bird flu seeking a second coming in the swine fever?   

Delta is leaving nothing to chance. And Pampanga’s successive National Gawad Kalasag awards in disaster risk reduction management is more than enough to assure the Capampangan he is in good hands.