President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered the Department of Agriculture’s Western Visayas office on Sunday, October 23, to test all pig breeding sites in the region to control the spread of the African Swine Fever (ASF).
The directive came after the DA – Western Visayas regional office reported during a situation briefing in Bacolod City that cases of ASF had been reported in Iloilo, a press for the Office of the Press Secretary said.
Marcos said all measures to prevent its spread is already in place, including banning pork products from infested areas.
He said testing all breeding farms for ASF is one of the most effective ways of controlling the spread of infection.
Marcos noted that one of the challenges in fighting the infection is that ASF has been reported to spread through mosquitos.
Iloilo and the whole Western Visayas region had previously been among the last few areas in the country that had remained ASF-free since the first reported outbreak in July 2019, the press release said.
Negros Occidental and Bacolod City, which remain ASP free, have banned the entry of pigs and pork products from Iloilo.
The president also raised the need for a public-private partnership style system to assist start-ups and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in growing their businesses.
The Chief Executive made the suggestion during a situation briefing by the Department of Trade and Industry Western Visayas regional office, the Office of the Press Secretary said.
With the numerous projects of the DTI supporting start-up businesses and MSMEs, Marcos said the agency should come up with a system that will connect them with private financiers and investors to help them sustain and grow their business.
Marcos said a system should be put in place to establish a platform that will connect all MSMEs to all information and private companies and entities that would help them enhance their business.
“We should be ready to bring our support one step further. There should be a support system to assist start-ups and our MSMEs by opening doors to new connections, get them to the digital world to help them connect with private companies for support,” the President pointed out.
DTI should ramp up efforts to introduce the new businesses to the public so that those who may be interested in joining or supporting the business may do so, Marcos said.*