ASF vaccine rollout targeted on Aug. 30, DA says

The Department of Agriculture (DA) will proceed with its plan to roll out the government's trial of Vietnam-made African Swine Fever (ASF) vaccine later this week.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the vaccination is voluntary, with the initial 10,000 doses to be rolled out on Friday, August 30, in Batangas. The province has declared a state of calamity due to the ASF outbreak.

"Yes. We will try our best [to roll out the vaccines] this Friday," Tiu Laurel said, adding that, "We will try to inject the [initial] 10,000 doses as soon as possible."

Tiu Laurel said the DA has allocated P350 million for the procurement of about 600,000 doses of ASF vaccine for the government's trial.

As part of the 600,000 doses ordered by the government from Vietnam's AVAC, Tiu Laurel said, "Just to update you, meron din tayong procurement na up to 150,000 doses na susunod na batch (Just to update you, a next batch of 150,000 doses has been procured)."

"Same supplier din naman sa Vietnam. Kasi there's only one approved for government usage (It's from the same supplier from Vietnam, because only vaccine has been approved for government usage)," he said.

"From what I understand, baka this weekend darating (From what I understand, it might arrive this weekend)," he added.

The Agriculture chief also reiterated that the cost of vaccination was shouldered by the government.

Graft charges

Meanwhile, the DA will push through with the rollout timeline despite the filing of graft charges over alleged anomalies involving the procurement and registration of the vaccine.

Tiu Laurel Jr. said the graft complaint filed against former and current officials of the DA, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), as well as executives from vaccine distributor KPP Powers Commodities is causing delays in the department's ASF vaccination plan.

"Medyo natakot 'yung mga kasamahan natin sa Bureau of Animal Industry dahil dito…. (Some of our colleagues in the Bureau of Animal Industry are getting nervous because of the issue….) I will have to replace several people who's willing to do the job," Tiu Laurel said, referring to the graft charges filed by journalist Fermin Diaz before the Office of the Ombudsman, claiming alleged "questionable" importation, field trials, and registration of Vietnam-made AVAC ASF Live vaccine.

Nevertheless, the Agriculture chief said "we are trying our best to have everything signed and approved by Friday."

Late July, the FDA announced that the AVAC ASF Live vaccine has been approved for restricted use only by the DA, with a validity of two years.

Arriving from Vietnam

In Vietnam, state media reported that the country will send 150,000 doses of the ASF vaccine to the Philippines on Thursday, although it has not yet been approved internationally.

The shipment of the vaccine, developed by AVAC Vietnam (AVAC), is part of 600,000 doses ordered by the Philippine government, Vietnam News Agency quoted the company's general director Nguyen Van Diep as saying.

Vietnam approved two African swine fever vaccines for domestic use in July 2023, saying it was the first country to do so. But neither of the vaccines has been approved internationally.

In October 2023, the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) issued a statement warning veterinary authorities and the pig industry of the "risk from use of sub-standard vaccines." It did not specifically mention Vietnam.

According to Vietnam News Agency, Diep said AVAC had already exported 300,000 doses to the Philippines in 2023. Other state media reports said this batch had been used for an "evaluation."

The company is seeking approval for its vaccine in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, Myanmar and Nigeria.

A team from the Philippines was in Vietnam earlier in the week to check on the production of the vaccines, he added, according to VNA.

Diep said 2.3 million doses have been used in Vietnam since July 2023.

Ceremonial eating

Meanwhile, to prove that local pork is safe for consumption, Tiu Laurel, former Senate President Tito Sotto, and local swine industry representatives did a ceremonial eating of lechon during an agricultural expo in Pasay City.

WATCH: Agriculture Sec. Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., former Senate Pres. Tito Sotto, together with local swine industry representatives did a ceremonial eating of lechon to prove that local pork is safe for consumption amid the lingering ASF outbreak. pic.twitter.com/G31OAhEHRX

— Ted Cordero (@Ted_Cordero) August 28, 2024

"We're hoping all these efforts, tulong-tulong ang industry, kasama natin ang DA, kasama ang DOH (Department of Health), kasama ang Kongreso, kasama ang Senado na iparating sa mamamayan na ligtas kainin ang Pinoy pork," Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura executive director Jayson Cainglet.

(We're hoping all these efforts, with the cooperation of industry, DA, DOH, Congress, and the Senate, would show that Pinoy pork is safe to eat.)

Intensified inspections

The BAI, in collaboration with the Philippine National Police (PNP) and local government units, is also intensifying the inspection and monitoring of animal shipments in the National Capital Region (NCR) as part of the ongoing campaign to protect animal health and prevent the spread of diseases such as ASF.

In a news release, the DA said that as of August 28, a total of 1,963 shipments of live animals and meat products have undergone inspection at various checkpoints across NCR.

The Agriculture Department said that out of the over 1,000 shipments, 113 were returned to their points of origin due to non-compliance with animal health regulations, while 13 were subjected to further testing to ensure they were free from diseases.

Moreover, 10 shipments were condemned due to serious health concerns, while 1,827 shipments, after meeting the necessary requirements, were cleared and released. — with a report from Agence France Presse/ VDV, GMA Integrated News