Opinion or expertise

Given that the Philippines has never had a real case of “Bird Flu” until last week (or April of this year as suspected by the Department of Agriculture) it is amazing how so many experts have popped up over night by virtue of a radio or TV interview.

I’m not trying to pick a fight or quibble over expertise and specializations but a lot of people especially those in broadcast media should be very careful about presenting medical doctors, poultry specialists, veterinarians and politicians as if they specialize or have actual working knowledge concerning Avian Influenza or Bird Flu. In the last 48 hours I have had the unpleasant experience of listening to every imaginable talking head talk about the Do’s and Don’ts of Bird Flu from people whose exposure to the subject matter or crisis on hand is “pure text book material” – meaning they read up on it on the internet, a veterinary journal, or the closest was attending a seminar.

They would be the equivalent of weekend warriors or “Cosplay characters”: people who don costumes and fashion accessories to represent a specific character (Google). The problem is we have the equivalent of a national concern if not national emergency because Bird Flu has the capability of wiping out every feathered fowl in the country. Bird Flu kills like a biblical plague and does not give us the luxury of a debate. Because it is a serious national concern, media should operate on a totally different format or treatment.

The first thing that media outlets and practitioners should be doing is giving as much air time to AUTHORITIES such as the Department of Agriculture and Department of Health ONLY, repeating and spreading the official information in order to educate and enable the public to respond as informed and rational individuals. The last thing that the media should be doing or should NOT be doing is to treat a National Concern or Emergency as if it were a topic for debate, an issue to fan or to solicit contradicting opinions. In a time of crisis, what we need to hear is expertise, first hand information and NOT opinion.

In this light, it may be time for legislators to craft a special law to dictate how media outlets and practitioners should handle cases of National Emergency / National Concern or Crisis. As the saying goes: “If you can’t be part of the solution, don’t be part of the problem.”

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In case someone is thinking of turning my “opinion” back at me. I might as well let you know that I have 40+ years of experience breeding, raising, and living with all sorts of chickens. My dad Louie Beltran was an avid Sabungero breeder and the story goes that when I was brought home from the hospital, my crib was right next to an incubator full of eggs and a box of chicks. We have had our share of “break outs” and diseases.

One case I remember very vividly involved 16 roosters that had just arrived at my dad’s chicken yard and all got sick with New Castle’s Disease (NCD) or what most Filipinos Sabungeros call “Peste.” If you did not vaccinate for NCD, you can’t treat it, you can’t fix it, and chances are it will spread and kill the rest of the feathered fowl in your yard or farm within 24 to 48 hours depending on their proximity and enclosure.

Back then the fastest and kindest way to deal with the sick birds was to shoot them and burn them on the spot. We shot them, burned them and torched the 16-door rooster pens. After retrieving the charred carcass of the dead birds, we put them in a pile and burned them even more. Then we buried what remained, soaked our clothes in boiling water while hosing ourselves down. After that we had to bleach every square inch of the chicken yard and install footbaths!

During that time my dad relied on selling chickens because he could not get employment during Martial Law. We learned our lesson then, so up to now I instinctively buy and apply vaccine on any and all animals we have. The last time I saw the impact of “Peste” or NCD was when we visited Puerto Galera, Mindoro where the Avian Pest struck and wiped out both poultry and native chickens that were not vaccinated. Ironically, most of the survivors were fighting cocks or vaccinated birds. Losing 16 roosters back then made a deep cut in my dad’s pocket but people who raise livestock or chickens know that disease and disasters come with any business that involves live animals. In the case of the current Bird Flu, real experts state there are no existing vaccines to prevent Avian Influenza or Bird Flu. We are all at risk and that is why cooperation and sacrifices have to be made for the greater good and in the interest of saving the country’s poultry industry.

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Early this year I was arranging to import 600 fertilized poultry eggs from Japan. Everything was being processed until I got an email where my contact regretfully informed me that the shipment would have to be postponed for at least 6 months because of a reported incidence of “Bird Flu” or something similar that resulted in the destruction of a reported 300,000 birds. While my supplier was far from the affected area, Japanese authorities believed that it was their responsibility to ensure that there was no risk or possibility of exporting any of the infected birds or related materials such as eggs to other countries. Even the businesses or companies engaged in exporting the eggs and live chicks voluntarily imposed quarantine measures and stopped all transactions. They did not have to be told or threatened. They understood and appreciated what was at risk and what had to be done. They did not argue, grandstand, or offer their opinion as expertise.

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