Group supports BAI on Cebu’s ASF issue

CEBU, Philippines — The Philippine College of Poultry Practitioners has strongly supported their veterinary colleagues and the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) involved in a legal case in the course of performance of duty.

Earlier, Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia has filed a case against BAI officials before the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas for allegedly violating 1) Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act; 2) some provisions of the Local Government Code; and 3) the New Civil Code in relation to mishandling the African Swine Fever (ASF) issue in Cebu.

Named respondents include Dr. Paul Limson, Dr. Samuel Joseph Castro, Dr. Miriam Lopez-Vito, Dr. Joshua Cruz and Dr. Daniel Ventura, Jr. of the Department of Agriculture (DA)-BAI.

“These veterinarians are well respected in the veterinary community displaying a high level of professionalism, dedication, work ethics,” said PCPP in their statement.

The group said that in accordance with international protocol by the World Organization for Animal Health on the prevention and control of ASF, as in the guidance to the contents of administrative order number 22 series of 2020, upon confirmation of the presence of ASF virus in the whole population, depopulation must be carried out in the area affected along with a regulated movement of other pigs outside the said area to prevent the further spread of the virus.

This action, the group said, is also consistent with the pronouncement of the Secretary of Agriculture that science must prevail.

“The BAI exercised transparency when they declared the ASF situation in the province to protect those in the green and other less affected zones,” it said.

The group believe that the polymerase chain reaction or PCR test is a laboratory tool used to validate the presence of ASF virus is of high sensitivity and specificity that a result of false positive is unlikely to happen; and that any detection of the virus in the pork meat or the blood samples in the abattoir strongly correlates with the infection level prior to the slaughter.

“In light of the scientific facts, relevant to the events that transpired, we stand by their colleagues and support their commitment in providing the highest quality of veterinary care,” the statement further reads.

The governor has remained firm that the “no culling, no color coding” policy remains in effect in the province.

She reminded all the mayors, the police, and other stakeholders to ensure that this order is implemented by apprehending those who would continually do indiscriminate testing of hogs even if these do not display symptoms of any kind.

In a statement posted at Sugbo News, the official Facebook page of the provincial government, Garcia is establishing a laboratory, in partnership with Prime Care, that will empower veterinarians at the LGU level to conduct testing on hogs that show symptoms and determine whether or not these are afflicted with the ASF or just the ordinary hog cholera.

Based on the latest color coding policy issued by DA-BAI from March  6 to 27, 2023, it has put 12 LGUs in Cebu under red zone or infected with ASF; eight towns are in yellow zone or surveillance zone; 18 towns were tagged in the pink zone or buffer zone because they are adjacent to the areas where ASF has been detected; teo towns were in the light green zone or protected zone; and 13 towns under the dark green zone or free zone which means it has not infected with ASF.

According to DA, the zoning is one of the internationally recognized strategies recommended by the Office International des Epizooties (OIE) or the World Organization of Animal Health, to prevent the spread of any animal disease. —/GAN (FREEMAN)