MALACAÑANG has ordered the creation of a national task force to deal with animal diseases following the spread of African Swine Fever (ASF) in domestic pigs.
President Rodrigo R. Duterte signed Executive Order (EO) No. 105 on Feb. 21 authorizing the creation of the National Task Force on Animal Borne Diseases, which will take charge of preventing the entry of such diseases as well as containing their spread.
“(T)o effectively address the current outbreak and to prevent or resolve similar incidents in the future involving other animal-borne diseases, there is an urgent need to create an inter-agency task force which will formulate, oversee and implement effective and coordinated policies and strategies to manage, contain, and control the spread of such diseases,” according to the EO, which was released Thursday.
ASF was first detected in domestic swine in September.
The Secretary of Agriculture was appointed to chair the task force with the Secretary of Health as Vice-Chair.
Mr. Duterte signed earlier this month another executive order that orders stakeholders to follow the national zoning plan drawn up to contain ASF.
Earlier this month, Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar said that the losses due to ASF at P7 billion. — Gillian M. Cortez
