POULTRY owners sought Secretary Emmanuel Piñol to issue an order deputizing veterinarian officers of the Davao City to issue travel permits of transfer of poultry products.
Davao City Councilor Marissa Abella, in an interview Wednesday, August 16, said that the Davao Poultry Association and Southern Philippines Egg Producer Association suggested to deputize the city veterinarian of the city especially in satellite offices.
"There is this concern of the Davao poultry association kasi pag mag ship out sila kinahanglan nila ug permit since isa lang mana ang nagahimo ana so isa lang mana ka office ang nagahimo ana so ideputize nila ang city vet na makapirma pud sila sa travel order," she said.
Abella said that only Secretary Manny Piñol to issue the order.
"He alone can sign the order, that City Veterinarian's Office (CVO) can be allowed to do that. The poultry business will be really affected so maybe somebody should be deputized from the CVO to have their permit to have this transfer because those from far flung areas of the city may suffer for losses due to this," she said.
Davao City Councilor Marissa Salvador-Abella sought the participation of the barangay officials in monitoring possible cases of bird flu in the city.
Abella said that as the chair of committee on the agriculture and food, she already asked if the executive department can issue orders to enjoin barangays to immediately report suspicious cases in the farm areas.
"I said maybe through the mayor she can issue executive orders, and may call barangay captains... since it is Kadayawan with an immediate guide, she can ask for the help of the officials to help in monitoring because our regulatory body from DA have only few personnel, but today they will start manning the entry points quarantine in the vessel, in the sea, and on the checkpoint of the task force," she said.
She added that recently she, as chair of the agriculture and food and Councilor Al-ag Chair of Committee on laws, rules, and privileges is set to pass in second reading an ordinance for poultry business to put up traiining protocol on housekeeping this as a follow up of the fly infestation in some poultry farms in the city last year.
"That is the usual problem: the smell and the flies, ang problema housekeeping and biosecurity," she said.
She said that they have visited farms with best practices in having already practiced methods that should be done also by other farms.
"Wala silay smell wala silay flies (They don't have any smell or flies)," because they practice biosecurity," she added.