Rody eats balut, chicken in Pampanga

SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga, Philippines – President Duterte assured the public yesterday that chicken and other fowl are now safe to eat despite a bird flu contagion that made consumers avoid poultry products.

“I assure the public that poultry products from Pampanga and Nueva Ecija are now safe,” Duterte told local officials from the two provinces where the bird flu virus took its heaviest toll.

The President’s speech was marked by a fit of coughing, and he joked that someone outside the hall must have cast a spell on him.

“But I don’t think I have enemies here in Pampanga. I won in the elections here,” he said.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) organized the President’s visit here – held at the Heroes Hall – to assuage consumers’ fear of getting infected by avian flu.

The President had a boodle fight over chicken and balut (duck egg) with DA chief Emmanuel Piñol, Pampanga Rep. Gloria Arroyo, Gov. Lilia Pineda, Health Secretary Paulyn Ubial and local officials from Pampanga and Nueva Ecija.

“I came here just to eat the chicken and the eggs and the balut (duck egg) to assure the public that it is no longer risky, that it’s over,” the President said. “We have been able to sequester the place, sadly, destroyed all the animals there, fowls, everything, those that can contaminate us with avian flu.” 

To help the industry recover, he said the government – through the DA – will assist affected poultry raisers in Pampanga and Nueva Ecija to defray their losses through interventions such as loans and training in capacity building.

“We will also strengthen awareness drives to the public and poultry raisers nationwide on avian influenza and find ways to mitigate such virus to avoid speculation and confusion,” he said.

Duterte said he is open to issuing an executive order imposing stiffer fines against companies that bring avian flu-infected birds into the country.

He also lauded the DA for its “quick and decisive action in squarely confronting and containing the avian flu outbreak.”

“I also appreciate the more than 300 soldiers and police officers for their help and valuable assistance. Your timely and rapid response on this outbreak is truly praiseworthy,” the President said.

Piñol reported that the price of fresh chicken has dropped to as low as P50 per kilo in some markets, from an average of P130 per kilo before the avian flu scare.

The President said he would ask the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) to provide more funds to businesses affected by avian flu in the two provinces.

Piñol said a total of 592,127 fowl, mostly chicken and quail, were culled in the towns of San Luis in Pampanga and in Jaen and San Isidro in Nueva Ecija.

Duterte turned over to the owners of the affected poultry farms in the two provinces some P21 million in compensation for their culled fowl, based on computation of P8 per chicken and P10 per quail.

Piñol reported in his speech that “a total of 421,132 birds were depopulated in affected farms of San Luis, Pampanga.”

He said the number included those culled in the one-kilometer radius zone from San Luis totaling 314,736 birds, “while voluntary culling in the seven-kilometer ‘controlled zone’ totaled 106,396 birds.”

Piñol said poultry owners in San Luis have been given a total of P20.7 million in compensation.

He also noted that in San Isidro, Nueva Ecija, a total of 70,576 birds have been culled. “One of the farms depopulated is owned by Manuel Ortiz Luis who received P5,516,000.”

Piñol also reported that in Jaen, 100,421 birds have been destroyed, including the quail farms of one Mary Grace Castro who got P209,000 in compensation and another of Magdalena Nagum who got P149,870.

“More than 400 police and army personnel of the Philippine National Police, Northern Luzon Command, Bureau of Fire Protection and the Office of Civil Defense helped in the culling operations in the two areas,” he pointed out.

No affected humans

Ubial, for her part, said the last four patients suspected of contracting bird flu after culling fowl in poultry farms in San Luis have been found negative of the contagion and allowed to leave hospital.

In an interview with The STAR, Ubial said a total of 39 individuals who had helped cull thousands of chickens in San Luis developed flu-like symptoms and were placed in isolation at the Jose B. Lingad Hospital.

Fear of avian flu contamination in humans heightened after an Australian laboratory confirmed that the strain in San Luis, as well as in Jaen and San Isidro, could spread to humans. 

Ubial maintained that the DOH would continue to monitor the health condition of hundreds of workers involved in culling operations.

“We can assume that all of them are safe only after 10 days since their last exposure to the fowl in the affected area,” she said.

“We remain negative for human (case) despite the Australian lab results.  Don’t panic.  It is not easy to transmit bird flu to humans.  It is safe to eat chicken and other poultry but they have to be cooked,” she added.

Arlene Vytiaco, head of DA-Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) animal disease and control division, said the department was able to successfully contain the virus.

“So far none (reports of death). All were cleared already and the suspected people tested negative. And no new cases have been reported,” Vytiaco said in a phone interview.

“We have started the incubation period and that means that there is a greater chance that the virus will no longer spread. Unless there are those who are keeping [death reports] again but so far we did not find any after our inspections,” she added. – Maureen Louise Simeon, Ric Sapnu, Victor Martin, Alexis Romero, Sheila Crisostomo