“As of August 15, 36 farms have been listed to be part of the depopulation process, covering about 600,000 fowls,” Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said during a press briefing held at the Department of Agriculture office in Quezon City.
He stressed that the offer to depopulate came from the farm owners themselves, some of who are outside the 1-kilometer radius.
“Kasi kahit hindi sila part ng 1-km radius, they’re willing to make sacrifices to help the government in containing the spread of the virus. Also they found it hard to go on with their business, kasi hindi rin sila makakabenta ng itlog at iba pang produkto,” Piñol said.
“Also according to experts, kapag pati iyong 7-km radius na-depopulate natin, it will be enough buffer zone doon sa ating ground zero. Kung ang periphery malinis, yung chances na mag-spread yung virus sa area will be lessened,” he added.
In line with the big task, DA has sought the help of the Philippine Army to help in the depopulation process.
According to the agriculture chief, one hundred uniformed personnel is set to assist in the culling process.
“Field personnel are asking for help since only a total of 107 personnel were deployed since August 15. These include the 47 from the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) and 60 from the Department of Health (DOH),” Piñol said.
Piñol has also asked the assistance of the Philippine National Police thru Gen. Ronald dela Rosa in securing and strengthening quarantine stations.
“This is to make sure that the depopulation areas will be secured,” he said.
Meanwhile, DOH Assistant Secretary Dr. Enrique A. Tayag said DOH will provide vaccines and personal protective equipment to all officers who will be deployed in the area.
“Bago sila i-deploy for the operation, nakainom na sila ng prophylaxis and we will also be in stand-by sa pag-examine sa mga maaring ma-expose para makasigurado tayo na di rin sila maapektuhann while doing this,” Tayag said.
“There are 800,000 capsules of prophylaxis available nationwide, 8,000 of which are for Pampanga,” Tayag announced.
“Following international protocols, it will take 90 days rest period before farmers be allowed to work in the farms again,” Piñol said.
“We can only lift the suspension if there are no signs of containment in another area, 21 days after the announcement of an outbreak,” he added.
Under a compensation scheme, the DA will be paying P80/head of culled chicken and ducks.
“We need about P52.8 million for this, and so I have asked the immediate release of the calamity fund for DA amounting to around P100M, which will help the department to release compensation for farmers faster,” Piñol said.
The Secretary also announced that he has ordered the investigation of the Chief Quarantine Officer of Batangas Port for the shipment of 1,500 eggs from Candaba and Batangas. The eggs, seized at the Caticlan Port, were transported in violation of the temporary ban on the shipments of poultry and poultry products.
“NMIS director Ernesto Santiago has also reported that 21 tons of dressed chicken from Luzon going to Cagayan de Oro were confiscated,” Piñol said.
To prove that it is safe to eat chicken, the secretary together with other DA officials will eat and give-away chicken on August 17 at TienDA Farmers and Fishers Outlet, at the Agricultural Training Institute in Quezon City. ### (Kristel Merle, DA-AFID)
