Senator Lito Lapid assured that any Department of Agriculture (DA) official behind the destruction of the vaccine purchased by the government to control the spread of African Swine Fever (ASF) in the country will be responsible.
In the statement, Lapid said he is set to file a proposed resolution to instruct the Senate Committee on Agriculture to investigate the neglect that caused the ASF vaccine to be wasted.
He said he was advancing the investigation after an epidemic of ASF hit the province of Batangas and Occidental Mindoro, infecting the hog raisers industry, its supply of pork, as well as its market value.
Although Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel has declared there is no need to declare a state of national calamity due to the epidemic, Lapid insisted that the supply of pigs in the market must be ensured since the holiday season is already approaching when its demand is at its peak.
Lapid demanded that the government allocate more funds for the purchase of ASF vaccines and then distribute them urgently in areas that needed urgent help to eradicate the epidemic in the country.
