Local governments reminded to align policies with ASF zoning plan
MANILA, Philippines — Local chief executives have been urged to ensure local laws prohibiting the entry of pigs and swine hogs and other related products are congruent with the national directives set by the interior department.
In a statement issued Monday, the Department of the Interior and Local Government told local governments that have issued executive orders restricting or limiting similar products that any issuances "must not impede the flow of cargo across LGU boundaries."
“Although the conscientious efforts of LGUs to mitigate the spread of the ASF in their respective jurisdictions are needed, they still have to ensure that their local policies and directive are aligned and consistent with those of the national government,” DILG spokesperson Jonathan Malaya said, adding that the move was aimed at averting the spread of African Swine Fever while ensuring food security.
The interior undersecretary also reminded LGUs to coordinate with the agriculture department's field offices on the ASF zoning classification system, pointing to DILG Memorandum Circular No. 2021-00, which urges local governments to conduct an immediate review of their executive orders and align their objectives with presidential issuances on the prevention and control of ASF.
“Due to the ASF, the country’s pork inventory suffered at an alarming level and the move to ship hogs from the Visayas and Mindanao was a pre-emptive measure to arrest the worsening pork supply and prices in Metro Manila,” agriculture secretary William Dar said earlier.
The circular also holds that local governments must strictly follow the national policy on the unhampered flow of cargoes stipulated in Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases Resolution No. 14 and Presidential Administrative Order No. 22 to mitigate the ASF in the country amid the pandemic.
To recall, Presidential Administrative Order No. 22, series of 2020 directs all government agencies and LGUs to strictly implement and comply with the Department of Agriculture’s ASF National Zoning and Movement Plan which has classified the country into various zones with respective movement controls.
"According to the World Organization for Animal Health, control of African Swine Fever during outbreaks and in affected countries can be difficult and must be adapted to the specific epidemiological situation," the order reads.
The IATF-EID resolution, meanwhile, provides for unimpeded movement of all types of food and non-food cargo during the enhanced community quarantine to avoid any threat of shortages of food staples.
The zone classification status is regularly reviewed and updated depending on the epidemiological changes of the disease.
The DILG said that failure on the part of the LGU to comply with these directives would lead to reprimands or even the issuance of show cause orders, and repeated breaches of those directives may lead to appropriate charges being brought against the local chief executive.
Malacañang has assured the public that the national government has been monitoring the prices of pork, chicken, and other commodities.
“We are also ready to impose price control on products with very high prices. There is also the importation of pork and poultry from the Visayas, Mindanao and other areas not affected by the ASF,” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in Filipino at a press briefing.
— Franco Luna with reports from The STAR
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