Public consultation on Animal Disease Prevention law ongoing

“DILI man ko gaingon nga gahi’g ulo ang mga taga Cagayan de Oro pero naa gyud pipila nga gusto gyud molabag mao na nga gihimoan gyud nato ug balaod.”

This was stressed by Councilor Jay R. Pascual, chairman of the City Council committee on agriculture, as the main reason for the passage of Ordinance No. 14043-2021 or the Animal Diseases Prevention and Control of Cagayan de Oro City.

The ordinance was authored by Councilor Pascual and Councilor Ian Mark Nacaya.

Pascual was one of the guests along with Dr. Lucien Anthony P. Acac, Assistant City Veterinarian and OIC-City Veterinary Office during last week’s week’s cluster briefing of the city government’s daily press conference.

According to Pascual, no hog raiser has been penalized yet as public consultation and massive information dissemination is still being conducted by authorities.

“We’re doing good for them but naay uban nga dili makasabot ug dili magpasabot, nakasabot pero dili sila mosugot. Karon ato na gyud gitagaan og ngipon atong balaod tungod kay naa na ang virus sa atong syudad ug dili kana binuang,” he further stressed.

The Anti-ASF campaign has been going on since September 2019 especially on the prohibition of feeding food wastes to hogs.

As specified in the ordinance, the use of swill or leftover foods is prohibited as well as the carrying, transport, shipment, distribution, storing, trading, marketing and sale of prohibited animal and animal-related products coming from other countries with confirmed animal disease outbreak.

Violators shall be penalized with P2000 pesos for the first offense, P5000 pesos for the second offense, and for the third and final offense, a penalty of P5000 pesos, and imprisonment of not less than six months but not more than one year shall be imposed, the councilor informed.

“Ato gyud ning gihimo ang mga penalties kay atong giconsider ang ASF as a big problem diri sa city,” Pascual further manifested. (SP/JAOclarit)