[ EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 105, February 21, 2020 ]
CREATING A NATIONAL TASK FORCE TO PREVENT THE ENTRY OF ANIMAL-BORNE DISEASES, CONTAIN AND CONTROL THE TRANSMISSION THEREOF, AND ADDRESS ISSUES RELATING THERETO
WHEREAS, Section 3(b) of Act No. 3639 mandates the Department of Agriculture, through the Bureau of Animal Industry, to control and eradicate dangerous communicable diseases of domestic animals;
WHEREAS, under Republic Act (RA) No. 10611 or the "Food Safety Act of 2013," it is the policy of the State to protect the public from food-borne and water- borne illnesses, and unsanitary, unwholesome, misbranded or adulterated food;
WHEREAS, Section 2 of RA No. 9296 or the "Meat Inspection Code of the Philippines," declares it a policy of the State to prevent the entry of disease-carrying animals into meat establishments and ensure the safety and quality of imported meat and meat products through proper preservation, inspection and documentation, for the purpose of protecting animal health and promoting the livestock industry;
WHEREAS, the African Swine Fever (ASF), despite having no known effect to humans, is a severe, highly contagious and fatal disease affecting domestic and wild pigs, caused by a resistant virus with no developed cure to date;
WHEREAS, ASF outbreaks have been reported in European countries and some neighboring Southeast Asian countries, causing major production and economic losses;
WHEREAS, the Department of Agriculture has confirmed that backyard and commercial farms in several areas in Luzon have been affected by the ASF virus, and more than 67,000 hogs have been culled to control the spread of said disease;
WHEREAS, the current ASF outbreak, which poses catastrophic effects on the Philippines' swine industry, the production supply chain and the economy, as a whole, requires drastic disease control and preventive measures, including mass culling of the affected hog population;
WHEREAS, to effectively address the current outbreak and to prevent or resolve similar incidents in the future involving other animal-borne diseases, there is an urgent need to create an inter-agency task force which will formulate, oversee and implement effective and coordinated policies and strategies to manage, contain and control the spread of such diseases; and
WHEREAS, Article VII, Section 17 of the Constitution provides that the President shall have control of all executive departments, bureaus and offices, and shall ensure that the laws are faithfully executed;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, RODRIGO ROA DUTERTE, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the Constitution and existing laws, do hereby order:
SECTION 1 . Creation of the National Task Force on Animal-Borne Diseases. An Inter-Agency Task Force to ensure effective coordination among government agencies, and undertake activities to prevent the entry of animal-borne diseases, control the spread thereof, as well as address other issues relating to the same, is hereby created, to be known as the National Task Force on Animal-Borne Diseases (NTFAD), and shall be composed of the following:
| Chairperson | Secretary, Department of Agriculture (DA) |
| Vice Chairperson | Secretary, Department of Health (DOH) |
| Members | The Executive Secretary Secretary, Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary, Department of Environment and Natural Resources Secretary, Department of Trade and Industry Secretary, Department of Finance Secretary, Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary, Department of Social Welfare and Development Secretary, Department of Foreign Affairs Secretary, Department of Transportation Secretary, Department of National Defense Secretary, Department of Labor and Employment Secretary, Department of Justice Secretary, Department of Tourism Commissioner, Bureau of Customs Director General, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority |
The Chairperson shall have operational control and supervision of the Task Force, and the overall responsibility to ensure that the objectives of this Order are accomplished.
SECTION 2. Secretariat. The NTFAD shall be assisted by a Secretariat to be composed of employees and officers from its member-agencies, as supported by the Bureau of Animal Industry and the National Meat Inspection Service under the DA, and the Food and Drug Administration under the DOH.
SECTION 3. Functions of NTFAD. The Task Force, through the respective mandates of the member-agencies, shall have the following functions:
(a) Formulate appropriate policies, regulations and measures to address issues relating to animal-borne diseases, including those concerning the ASF virus;
(b) Develop a national risk reduction program and a comprehensive framework to manage, contain, control and eradicate animal-borne diseases, including but not limited to, movement control/quarantine, biosecurity, surveillance, proper waste disposal and other control measures;
(c) Supervise and monitor the implementation of the policies, regulations, measures and programs to be developed under this Order, as well as ail interventions relative to the improvement of customs and quarantine measures, to ensure the integrity of all international ports of entry and inspection of markets for imported goods that contain products that may be infected by animal-borne diseases;
(d) Formulate and issue zoning and movement plans for the prevention and control of animal-borne diseases, monitor its implementation, and ensure compliance therewith;
(e) Develop and implement a national public awareness campaign on animal-borne diseases which may pose a threat to the country;
(f) Develop programs to aid those affected by animal-borne diseases, such as the grant of financial assistance, livelihood alternatives and necessary skills training;
(g) Enhance contingency and action plans for emergency disease control;
(h) Prepare and submit to the President timely reports on the status of animal- borne diseases, including the ASF virus, as well as the NTFAD's initiatives and recommendations relative thereto; and
(i) Perform such other functions as may be directed by the President.
SECTION 4. Convergence. All departments, bureaus, offices, agencies or institutions of the government, including government-owned or-controlied corporations and state universities and colleges, are hereby directed, and local government units are hereby enjoined, to render the necessary assistance to the NTFAD.
The private sector, non-government organizations and other stakeholders are encouraged to participate and support the implementation of the programs and activities to be formulated.
SECTION 5. Funding. The resources needed for the implementation of this Order shall be sourced from available funds of the member-agencies of the NTFAD, and if necessary, such other appropriate funding sources as the DBM may identify, subject to existing budgeting, accounting and auditing laws, rules and regulations.
SECTION 6. Repeal. All issuances, orders, rules and regulations, or parts thereof inconsistent with this Order are hereby repealed, amended or modified accordingly.
SECTION 7. Separability. In the event that any provision of this Order or any part thereof is declared invalid or unconstitutional, the provisions not affected thereby shall remain in force and effect.
SECTION 8. Effectivity. This Order shail take effect immediately.
DONE in the City of Manila, this 21st day of February , in the year of our Lord, Two Thousand and Twenty.
(SGD.) RODRIGO ROA DUTERTE
By the President:
(SGD.) SALVADOR C. MEDIALDEA
Executive Secretary