Imported birds from Indonesia triggers RP avian flu alert

Department of Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Angelo T. Reyes has issued a new avian flu alert in the country after authorities seized 281 exotic birds imported from Indonesia. In a statement Friday, Reyes also renewed his call on the public to refrain from importing birds from avian-flu countries to keep the country bird flu-free. “The Philippines is still bird flu-free but we must constantly be on alert against the entry of the highly pathogenic avian influenza or bird flu virus into the country. It would be wise for the public to stop buying birds from the black market," Reyes said. Reyes also directed DENR regional officials to strictly monitor entry points for imported birds, as well as wetland areas where migratory birds congregate. Reyes made the order following the recent seizure and disposal of 281 exotic birds, most of which were green-naped lorikeets that had been imported from Indonesia. The birds, according to the DENR chief, were seized in a joint operation conducted by the DENR and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) early this week in Davao City. The operation also yielded one wallaby, one saltwater crocodile and a Javan warty pig. The DENR, according to Reyes, is notably wary of birds imported from Indonesia, the latest country to report bird flu cases. Bird shipments from Indonesia can enter the country through the ports of General Santos, Davao and Zamboanga City in Mindanao. Indonesia has been declared an avian influenza hot zone by the World Health Organization (WHO), Reyes said. "As part of the government’s continuing campaign against bird flu, the Regional Avian Influenza Protection Program (AIPP) Task Force composed of the DENR, Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Department of Health (DOH) immediately disposed of the seized animals with the use of carbon dioxide. They were later incinerated at the NBI’s Quarantine Office in Sasa," Reyes said. Reyes said the animals were seized from a certain Mike Artucilla, a Filipino, along with an Indonesian national, Randay Mandumi, who served as Artucilla’s interpreter when he purchased the birds and animals in Halmijira, Indonesia. A case will be filed against Artucilla for violating Republic Act 9147, otherwise known as the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act of the Philippines. Mandumi, meanwhile, is under the custody of the Bureau of Immigration and Deportation-XI, Reyes said. “There is an upsurge of bird flu cases in Asia, Europe and Africa and we hear reports of new cases in several more countries. We do not want that to happen here," Reyes said. The DENR has banned since 2004 the importation of all pet and cage birds originating from countries where any incidence of avian influenza has been reported. Apart from Indonesia, the ban covers birds coming from Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Laos, Pakistan, South Korea, Thailand, Taiwan and Vietnam. - GMANews.TV