IN A bid to beef up measures against the African Swine Fever (ASF), the Eastern Mindanao Command (Eastmincom) security checkpoints will be doubled as quarantine checkpoints to prevent the entry of the disease.
This developed after Eastmincom commander Lieutenant General Felimon T. Santos Jr. met with Department of Agriculture (DA)-Davao Director Ricardo Oñate together with members of the Surveillance Team from Meat Inspection Service, Bureau of Animal Industry, and some hog raisers in Davao Region.
They sought the assistance of the military in preventing not only the ASF but also other zoonotic and infectious diseases from entering Davao.
"Our fixed security checkpoints can be used as a point of convergence in carrying out the best interest of the government and of the communities, hence, can accommodate other capabilities and be expanded or converted to a 'whole of government' platform like that of quarantine checkpoint," Santos said.
To date, the Task Force Davao has been expanded into quarantine checkpoints after the City Government of Davao, through the City Veterinary and Agriculture Office deployed quarantine personnel.
Some 65 personnel were oriented on animal and meat quarantine.
Santos recommended that the issue be leveled to different levels of peace and order councils to encourage the participation of different law enforcement agencies and the crafting of local and regional plans, to include biosecurity protocols.
"Taking off from the initiative of Davao City and Task Force Davao checkpoints as a template, we are asking concerned agencies to level the issue to different POCs to consolidate and synchronized effort in this biological battle," he added.
Earlier, the Davao City Government put up quarantine stations in all entry and exit points of the city to prevent the entry of the ASF virus in coordination with Task Force Davao. Checkpoints are located in Barangays Lasang, Sirawan, and Lacson.
According to the World Organization for Animal Health, the ASF is a deadly viral disease affecting domestic and wild pigs but is not a threat to human health and cannot be transmitted from pigs to humans.