BACOLOD City – A business group here is not opposed to measures against avian influenza (AI), or bird flu, pursuant to the joint Executive Order (EO) No. 02-2022, issued by the Bacolod City government and the provincial government of Negros Occidental.
On Feb. 5, P1.4 million worth of eggs were intercepted at the BREDCO port in the Reclamation Area. The 240,000 pieces of table eggs from Bantayan, Cebu were immediately incinerated, sparking a backlash from residents and netizens.
The Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MBCCI), however, said it is not against the measures to safeguard Bacolod and Negros Occidental from bird flu.
MBCCI chief executive officer Frank Carbon said, “Let us protect our poultry industry so that our economy will not go down. The threat of AI and African swine fever (ASF) is still there.”
He added, “A million [peso worth of confiscation] is nothing to a millionaire compared to the poultry industry which may lose P300 million to P400 million if the industry is affected by AI. We do not want that to happen just like in Iloilo which was much affected by the bird flu.”
He added that the swine and poultry industries in the province also help the local sugar industry.
Negros Occidental is one of the top food producers and exporters in the Visayas. The province has an P8-billion poultry industry, and its swine industry is pegged at P6 billion.
“Ang mga milyonaryo damu na kwarta, nga kon mawad-an okay lang sila. Pero ang tawo mawad-an obra kalooy man sa ila,” Carbon explained.
The MBCCI chief executive officer further said, “Food business is recovering quicker than the others. It would generate more jobs and help recover the dwindling buying power of the masses. Everybody should contribute to its recovery, a little sacrifice now will pay huge dividends in the future.”
Meanwhile, Victorias mayor Javi Benitez also expressed his sentiments about the disposed eggs.
“Kanugon nga ginsunog ang amo nga mga itlog. Kuntani nagpangita anay sang maayo nga solusyon imbes nga sunugon. Pwede man lang madonar ang amo nga mga itlog sa mga tawo nga gina-gutom,” read Benitez’s Facebook story. “Ang husto, husto. Ang sala, sala. Pero ang pagkaon nga para sa tawo, dapat para sa tawo.”
On the other hand, city legal officer Carlos Ting Jr. justified the course of action taken, saying, “Public health and safety will always be our topmost priority.”
In his press statement, Ting said, “Through this shared commitment with the province, we have given our taskforces the authority to undertake the necessary precautionary measures to safeguard the public from poultry products such as eggs from areas affected by the highly pathogenic bird flu.”
“We can’t let these contraband items penetrate our markets. Though it often just affects birds, isolated cases of humans being infected with the H5N1 virus have already been reported,” the lawyer added./PN
