CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – Pampanga Governor Lilia Pineda lauded recently President Rodrigo Duterte for his support to help the poultry industry in the province recover.
Duterte was joined by Second District Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol, and Health Secretary Paulyn Ubial who met with poultry farm owners, who were affected by the bird flu outbreak, to give check payments for birds that were culled.
Pineda said Pampanga is one of the largest poultry industries in the country that produces more than a million eggs a day and the effect of the recent bird flu outbreak could have been worse for the industry had it not for the government's swift action and the support of the President.
“Mahal naming Pangulo, hindi kami natakot dahil alam po namin ang puso ninyo nasa Kapampangan. Maraming salamat po sa tulong ninyo sa amin,” Pineda said.
National agencies, specifically Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) and the Department of Agriculture (DA) vowed to provide employment and loan assistance to poultry farmers to start anew, the governor added.
The ban on transporting poultry products to Visayas and Mindano was lifted shortly after public officials proved that poultry eggs from Pampanga are safe to eat.
Pineda said the bird flu incident serves as a wakeup call for the province to revisit policies and regulations to comply with strict and safe poultry breeding.
At present, regular monitoring and disinfection on farmers and workers in some areas of the province continue. (PR)