On August 14, 2023, Department of Agriculture (DA) Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban and technical experts from the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) discussed the preparations being made for the WOAH Performance of Veterinary Services (PVS) evaluation mission involving the African Swine Fever (ASF) component in the Philippines.
During the discussion, Senior Usec. Panganiban assured the WOAH evaluators of the Department’s full support as far as the Livestock Program of the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) is concerned.
The PVS Evaluation entails a formal request for assistance in assessing the compliance of Veterinary Services with WOAH’s international standards. It involves a qualitative assessment of a country’s Veterinary Services’ performance and their ability to adhere to WOAH standards using the WOAH PVS Tool.
Similar PVS Evaluation Missions were conducted in the Philippines in 2008 and 2016.
Other DA officials present during the meeting were DA Assistant Secretary for Regulations Paz Benavidez, along with BAI Director Dr. Paul Limson, and BAI veterinarians Dr. Janice Garcia and Dr. Anthony Bucad. ### (photos by Joseph Henry Elamparo, DA-AFID)
