ILIGAN CITY (PIA)--The local government here imposes stricter measures in the entry and selling of meat products as the city now strives to exit from the threat of African swine fever (ASF).

City Veterinarian’s Office (CVO) Department Head Dr. Dahlia Valera said during the Local Price Coordinating Council media briefing Tuesday, October 19, that her office intensifies the monitoring of meat products from farms to the slaughterhouse to the consumers’ tables.

“We see to it that the meat coming from the slaughterhouse is safe, wholesome, and fit for human consumption,” she said.

Valera emphasized that they are much concerned with the online selling of meat products presently due to the tallied ASF cases.

Reiterating guidelines for consumers and buyers, she said that for unprocessed meat, it must necessarily be asked if sellers have a license to operate and certificate of product registration from the Food and Drug Administration.

Valera also stressed that for fresh and frozen products and lechon, they will be requiring national or their meat inspection certificate proving that what is being sold came from the slaughterhouse and underwent proper meat inspection. Accordingly, before one can admit an animal at the slaughterhouse, a veterinary health certificate must be presented.

She further shared that at the port, whenever meat products dock, their partners in coordination with the Bureau of Quarantine confiscate those without required documents while upon entry here from neighboring cities and provinces, a blood sample is mandatory to see if the animal is indeed ASF-free.

The department head likewise told buyers that it is important for them to discover themselves if what they are buying is from the slaughterhouse so that sellers will be compelled to have their hogs slaughtered in such a facility.

Valera then called on its partners, particularly the media sector, to help them, especially that the city is in the process of implementing the exit protocol.

“Gusto ko magpatabang sa atong mga partner kay we are now in the exit protocol sa ASF. Gahimo nami sa among documents kay para makaexit nata sa red zone ug muadto nata sa pink [zone] para magdeclare na ang national Department of Agriculture that Iligan is now ASF-free,” she said.

[I want to get help from our partners because we are in the exit protocol of the ASF. We are already making documents so that we can already exit from the red zone and go to the pink [zone], and it will be declared by the national Department of Agriculture that Iligan is now ASF-free.]

The CVO earlier bared that in less than a month, the city fortunately had the ASF cases contained within Barangays Puga-an, Mandulog, Digkilaan and Mainit. (CRG/PIA-Lanao del Norte)