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‘Declare state of emergency on ASF’: Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan stresses the need to declare a state of national emergency so that additional funds could be realigned to address the effects of African swine flu to the local hog industry. During the hybrid hearing on the rising prices of food by the Committee on Agriculture, Food, and Agrarian Reform, Tuesday, March 9, 2021, Pangilinan said in 2014 when he was Presidential Assistant for Food Security and Agricultural Modernization, he recommended the declaration of a public emergency to combat the cocolisap outbreak which caused P33 billion worth of damage to the coconut industry. He said about P400 million was reallocated from the executive department to stop the infestation. “So this public emergency declaration will now address the measly budget that is not intended for loans. We should also study how to get additional funding from the tariffs to support this public emergency,” Pangilinan said. (Screen grab/ Senate PRIB)