TANAUAN, LEYTE (Jan.28, 2021) – A re-orientation forum on the African Swine Fever (ASF) was conducted by the Department of Agriculture yesterday and participated in by at least 35 key staff from the Municipal Agriculture Office of the Municipalities of Burauen, MacArthur; Mayorga, Dulag and Pastrana.
The main purpose of the wholeday forum is to revisit the established ASF Guidelines and Protocols; abreast concerned LGU-Partners of the status, extent and gravity of this dreaded animal disease now affecting 3 municipalities in Leyte, namely: Abuyog, Javier and La Paz.
The re-orientation was held in response to the earnest request from these LGUs located near the epicenter where the first positive case of ASF was detected and confirmed.
Dir. Elvira C. Torres, ARD for Research and Regulatory; Dr. Andrew Orais, FOD Chief of the DA-RFO 8 spearheaded this re-orientation together with the DA8 Communications Team and the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) led by Regional Director Olive Tiu.
DA-RFO8 Chief Angel C. Enriquez who on that day had a prescheduled meeting with Southern Leyte Governor Damian G. Mercado also joined the group later in the afternoon.
RED Enriquez urged the representatives of LGU-partners to seriously take to heart and immediately apply what they learned for a collective efforts of managing, containing and controlling the further spread of ASF virus.
“The success of eradicating this dreadful animal health problem depends largely on the cooperation of concerned LGUs. Without their proactive support, sadly ASF virus, according to experts, will be here to stay even up to 30 years,” the DA8 Chief stressed. # ## (Francis Rosaroso / DA-RFO VIII, RAFIS)
