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Thursday, November 24, 2005
13 mayors told to step up drive v. bird flu
By Jane Cadalig
BENGUET Governor Borromeo Melchor is seeking a province-wide campaign against the avian influenza virus, saying it is likely to affect the province.
Melchor directed the province's 13 mayors to come up with necessary preventive measures to curb the possible entry of the virus into the province, especially since some of its mountain ranges were identified as the entry points of migratory birds that are suspected to be carriers of the virus.
"There is a high probability that migratory birds coming from the affected (European and Asian) countries would bring in the disease being feared. You are hereby advised to devise measures to address (this problem), which might possibly affect our specific area of jurisdiction," he said.
He encouraged the mayors to ban the hunting of birds in their respective areas.
La Trinidad Mayor Nestor Fongwan, meantime, has directed the town's 16 barangay chairmen to implement the governor's order.
Hunting wild birds has become a practice in Bakun, Buguias and Kibungan. Residents in the areas usually engage in the activity from September to December when birds flock to the country to avoid the chilly weather in the neighboring Asian countries.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) in the Cordillera region also advised the public to be vigilant about the bird flu virus while reiterating that residents should refrain from bird catching.
Poultry raisers were told to report to the agency any unusual deaths among their fowls for monitoring purposes.
The DA heads the task force created to conduct an information campaign on bird flu. The Philippines, as of press time, is still free from the dreaded disease.
(November 24, 2005 issue)
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