AGRICULTURE SECRETARY Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. on Monday assured higher indemnification to African swine fever (ASF)-affected hog raisers in the country amid the resurgence of cases in eight Batangas areas.
“Sa ngayon, meron nga pala tayong bagong policy iyong indemnification. Iyong mga kakatayin na baboy, yung maliit PHP4,000 per biik (For now, we have a new policy on indemnification. For the small ones condemned, it is PHP4,000 per piglet). Iyong (Those) medium-sized, PHP8,000, iyong malalaki (and for the big ones), PHP PHP12,000,” he said in an ambush interview.
The said amount is higher than the previous PHP5,000 indemnification value for each condemned ASF-infected hog.
Laurel said the move to raise or rationalize the indemnification policy aims to encourage hog raisers to condemn or surrender infected swine, and prevent the spread of the virus.
For its implementation, he said, the Department of Agriculture (DA) plans to utilize around PHP150 million from the DA’s quick response fund (QRF).
“Kulang talaga iyong pondo para sa indemnification. Kaya if there’s a way na madagdagan ito for 2025, napaka-importante (The fund for indemnification is very short. So if there’s a way to increase this for 2025, it’s very important),” he said, referring to future budget allocation for indemnification during the DA’s budget hearing for fiscal year 2025.
Besides the increased indemnification, Laurel also cited the upgraded distribution of sows instead of piglets through its Integrated National Swine Production Initiatives for Recovery and Expansion (INSPIRE) repopulation program.
Localized spread
Laurel, meanwhile, stressed that there is no need to implement a nationwide state of calamity or emergency considering the “localized outbreak” in Calatagan, Lian, Lipa City, Lobo, Rosario, San Juan, Talisay, and Tuy.
“No need, it’s localized. It is spreading a bit but not as fast and mas aware na kasi ang mga tao ngayon kasi nangyari na dati (people are more aware now because of what happened before),” he said, citing stricter biosecurity measures.
Earlier, the DA said it has coordinated with the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) for intensified checkpoint operations in Batangas, distributed industrial lime to prevent further spread, and the continuous conduct of mass testing.
Laurel also ordered the emergency procurement of 10,000 doses of ASF AVAC live vaccines for immediate distribution in Batangas.
“Sana next week, next Friday, mailabas na namin (Hopefully next week, next Friday, we will be able to roll it out),” he said.
The DA has also urged affected local government units (LGUs) in Batangas to declare a state of calamity to speed up the activation of its QRF for indemnification.
To date, the local governments Lobo and Calatagan have already declared a state of calamity.
As of Aug. 8, some 22 provinces in 11 regions have logged ASF cases in the country, according to the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI).
Among the provinces with the highest number of affected barangays include North Cotabato with 62, Occidental Mindoro with 57, Batangas with 38, Sultan Kudarat with 22, Quezon with 17, and La Union with 14. (Stephanie Sevillano)
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