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Senate agri panel seeks declaration of nationwide state of emergency amid ASF problem

By ERWIN COLCOL,GMA News

The Senate agriculture committee is calling on the Department of Agriculture (DA) to recommend to President Rodrigo Duterte the declaration of a state of emergency in the entire country amid the threat of the African swine fever (ASF).

During its meeting on Tuesday, the panel approved the motion of Senator Francis Pangilinan calling for a declaration of state of emergency in the island of Luzon in light of the ASF threat.

"We move that [the] DA recommend to the Office of the President the declaration of a state of emergency in Luzon so that public funds may be realigned to address the state of emergency," he said.

National Federation of Hog Farmers Inc. chairman Chester Warren Tan, however, requested that the state of emergency be declared as well in the Visayas and Mindanao.

"If that is the recommendation of the sector, I have no objection but I will have the DA also perhaps consider that," Pangilinan responded.

Impact of ASF

The DA, during the meeting, reported that ASF has already affected 2,402 barangays, 463 municipalities, 40 provinces, and 12 regions in the country.

A total of 68,382 farmers have also been hit by the disease, it added.

Agriculture Sector Alliance of the Philippines president Nicanor Briones appealed to the senators to include in their motion the provision of indemnity fund to aid backyard and commercial farmers who have been impacted by the ASF.

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"Baka pwedeng ilagay na doon ang indemnification fund for the infected hogs ng ASF. Once na tinamaan ka ng ASF e magkaroon ng indemnification fund. Napakaimportante niyan na pilit hindi nire-recognize ng DA," he said.

"Kasi meron [diyang] guarantee na hindi sila maba-bankcrupt in case na tamaan sila ng ASF. Kung magkakaroon sila ng state of emergency, sana ilagay doon ang funds for indemnification sa lahat ng tatamaan ng ASF backyard man or commercial," he added.

Senate agriculture panel chairperson Cynthia Villar agreed that farmers should be compensated if their hogs are needed to be culled after being infected by ASF.

"If there is a state of emergency, dapat may quick response fund (QRF). Kapag QRF kasi you don't have to go through processing na napakatagal kasi for emergency yan," she said.

"Yun ang sinasabi ko sa kanila na yung culling dapat babayaran ninyo. Kasi ipupuslit nila kapag di niyo binayaran kasi mahihirap sila," she added.

Following Briones' request, Pangilinan amended his motion to include the provision of an indemnification fund for ASF-hit farmers.

Duterte earlier issued an executive order imposing a price cap on pork products as requested by the DA due to soaring pork prices caused by the ASF problem and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Under the executive order, the price cap for kasim and pigue was set at P270 per kilo, P300 for liempo, and P160 for dressed chicken per kilo. The price cap will last for 60 days.

This led to several market vendors going on "pork holiday” due to the fear of going bankrupt amid the price caps. — RSJ, GMA News