Umalma naman si dating Agriculture Sec. Manny Piñol sa pahayag ng kasalukuyang kalihim William Dar hinggil sa delayed umanong pag-uulat ng kagawaran sa kaso ng African Swine fever (ASF) sa bansa.
Ikinalungkot ni Piñol ang tila paninisi ni Dar sa kanya dahil sa patuloy na pagkalat ng sakit sa mga alagang baboy ngayon.
“Actually, I could not believe that the touted agriculture expert would go to the extent of engaging in a blame game to rationalise the apparent difficulty he encounters in addressing a crisis situation,” ani Piñol.
“What good would a blame game do? Will it solve the problem?”
Inamin naman ng dating kalihim na walang record ng ASF ang Bureau of Animal Industry sa World Organization for Animal Health.
“The claim that the ASF was already in the country as early as May is a statement which reeks with an utter lack of knowledge of the characteristic of the virus which cause the ASF.”
“Experts say that the incubation period of the ASF virus is between 4 to 19 days and it could decimate a hog population in 48 to 72 hours. This means that if indeed the ASF was already present in the country in May, by August when Sec. Dar took over the DA, it should have already wiped out the hog population among backyard farmers in Central Luzon.”
Dinepensahan din ni Pinol ang quarantin teams na hindi umano tinantanan ang pagtutok sa entry at exit points na bansa para matiyak na walang makakalusot na kontaminadong karne ng baboy.
“As a touted Agriculture Expert, Sec. Dar should have prepared for the problems he expected to encounter before he assumed office following my resignation as DA Secretary on June 26.”
” I do not know Sec. Dar’s management style but I never embarrass my fellow workers in public. That is not my style.”
“I am still making that same commitment today even if he has offended me with his irresponsible accusations and childish actuations of looking for people to blame in the face of crisis.”
Kasalukuyang nanunungkulan ngayon si Piñol bilang chairman ng Mindanao Development Authority.
