SP Kalinga approves ordinance on ‘Bantay ASF sa Barangay’ of Pinukpuk

Tabuk City, Kalinga – A stricter implementation of the Department of Agriculture’s guidelines on the “Bantay ASF (African Swine Fever) sa Barangay” program in the municipality of Pinukpuk shall now be enforced following the provincial council’s approval of an ordinance strengthening its execution.

Said move is in support of Section 6 of the Department of Agriculture Administrative Order, Series of 2021, mandating the enactment of an ordinance by creating a Municipal Task Force and designation of a municipal veterinarian, when applicable, and designation of barangay captains as biosecurity officers in their jurisdiction and allocation of funding for the program.

Through the said ordinance, a Municipal Task Force will be created to protect the public and the swine industry of Pinukpuk from the ASF disease.

The task force shall be composed of the municipal mayor as chairman, the municipal agriculturist as vice-chairperson, and the commanding officer of 50 IB,5 ID, PA, police chief of Pinukpuk, BFP Pinukpuks’ fire marshall, and the SB Committee on Agriculture’s chairperson as its members.

Other members include the Association of Barangay Captains Federation President, Community Environment and Natural Resources Officer, the Municipal Local Government Operations Officer, and the 21 Punong barangays of the municipality.

The members shall also be divided into five teams composing of the rapid action team, the surveillance team, the quarantine team, the census team, and another team that will be involved in the Information Education Campaign (IEC).

The rapid action team will be tasked to diagnose suspected cases and carry out “stamping out procedures stated in the approved national ASF Contingency plan while the surveillance team shall take care in the conduct of surveillance and profiling of swine diseases in the identified priority areas.”

The quarantine team will be responsible for regulating the movement of animals and conduct quarantine procedures during suspected and confirmed cases of the ASF disease.

The Census team, on the other hand, are mandated to collect swine population data, farm location, and other related activities, while the IEC team will be responsible for raising public awareness on the said disease, provide updates, advocate proper care of swine, and disinfection of pigpens, and information on the adoption of precautionary measures.

As recalled, Pinukpuk is one of the municipalities in the province that was severely affected during the outbreak of the ASF disease.

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