frfi3i*rs Insight I lfturs
B3
House probe on swine flu
BY WEI{DELL VIGIUA
A PARfi-LIST congressman has
called for an investiiation bv the
House of Represeitatives 'into
$e outbreak of t}le African srvine
tever (ASF) jn rhe countrv. oar-
ticularly in the provinces oi'Itzal
and Bulacan.
Magsasaka parry-list Rep. Areel
Cabatbat has filed House'Resoi,_
tioq No. 336 dirccting the House
comrntftee on agricultwe to look
into the status of ASF oroliferadon
in the counry,.not or,ly ,o orot .,
the local consumers bui ul.i ,., r*
incidence sought
sess its adverse impact to the hog
lnclustrr.'
"It is the responsibility of the
government to take all necessaty
achons to protecr the [velihood
of our hog raisers aod the hog
a whole," rhe res'olu:
ff:Xl ^ Cabatbat pointed out that while
Based on official fiqures. the
country's ?260-bilLion,i,orth hog
rndustry is composed of 12.70
million swine raised nationwide.
Iast Monday, the Depattrnent
ot Agriculrure 1Ol1 ofnciattv
declared an outbreak of ASF in
Guiguinro, Bulacan and in Rodri_
\ PAqr - Es,
guez and Antipolo in fuzal. .
of pigs have also been
-Cadqve-rs
found floating in the Marikina
River, a creek in Bagong Silangan,
(luezon Clry, and in an irisadon
caoal i-o Ma.lolos, Bulacan.
the Nadonal Meat InsDection Ser_
vice QJMIS; has assured the oublic
that the ASF is not considited a pefcent fatality !ate.
serious health threar, humans mav
still become cariers of rhe virui
rvhich, if left unchecked, can 6nd
rts way to meat products.
"Hurnans can become cariets
of the virus, and the vius can also
suwive even if the meat has been
processed or canned,,' he added.
Malacariang has already ap_
proved a P78 rnilUon .-.re.rr'.u
fund fot rhe DA to
-unug.].on'_
troJ. and conrain the
ASF outbrer k
According to Cabatbat, pigs,
warthogs and boars which -hr...
been infected with ASF have a 1 00
The United Nadons Food and
Agriculture Organization
bas
reported ASF outbrcaks in Asian
countries, notably io China. Viet-
nam, Cambodia, fonsolia. iNorth
Korea. Laos. and My;mar.