ILOILO – To make the holidays more meaningful, the provincial government will hold a “Red and Green Christmas” at the capitol grounds today dedicated to food security and renewable energy.
According to Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr., since the provincial government celebrates Christmas at the capitol grounds, he wants to make use of the resources and time to launch the two campaigns.
There will be a “Red Zone sa Kapitolyo Christmas Pork Festival” which will highlight the launch of the TAHUM (Tapak, Hugas kag Malimpyo nga Pagpakaon) campaign, or the provincial government’s minimum biosecurity standards for the African Swine Fever (ASF).
The TAHUM campaign promotes heightened biosecurity measures such as stepping on sanitizing footbath mats before entering the household and farms, frequent hand washing and regular disinfection of farms, and safe feeding using clean water and hog feeds from reputable and ASF-free sources.
Defensor said the frontline strategy of the province against ASF is strengthening the resilience of backyard farmers and boosting the swine industry.
He explained that similar during the onset of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic wherein the provincial government launched the 3M strategies (Manghinaw, Magmaskara kag Magdistanya), this time they will launch the TAHUM campaign against ASF.
“Maayo gid kon mapabaskug naton ang aton backyard. So we will launch an ASF campaign focusing on biosecurity measures kapin pa sa aton nga backyard farmers,” said Defensor.
As of Dec. 9, seven towns in the province were tagged as ASF red zones. These are Oton, San Miguel, Alimodian, Santa Barbara, Leganes, New Lucena, and Mina. While Brgy. Cabilauan in Barotac Nuevo was also declared a red zone.
Red zone means that the movement of live pigs, pork, pork products (fresh/frozen pork products and uncooked processed pork products, except cooked and canned processed pork products), and swine genetic materials in and out of the said municipality shall be prohibited.
Meanwhile, another campaign to be launched is the “Iloilo Province Goes Renewable Energy (Iloilo Pro-GReEn) Program,” which promotes the development and utilization of renewable energy as well as energy efficiency and conservation.
It coincides with the celebration of the National Energy Consciousness Month by the Department of Energy.
The province of Iloilo has been championing renewable energy with the institutionalization of its Iloilo Provincial Renewable Energy Plan (I-PREP), which identifies the plans, programs, and activities that will promote the exploration, development, and commercialization of renewable energy systems across the province.
In relation to this, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan also passed Resolution No. 2022-482, or the Iloilo Provincial Ordinance for Renewable Energy (I-PORE), which promotes the development, utilization, and commercialization of renewable energy sources.
The governor said the provincial government has always welcomed the prospects of renewable energy in the province.
He went on to say that renewable energy is not just an advocacy issue but also a practical situation in addressing higher coal prices as a result of the recent conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
“We have power generators in the Visayas that are dependent on coal as fuel. So it affects our energy prices and our energy supply. So that is why we are aggressive on transitioning to other sources of energy,” he said.
The afternoon program will be followed by the launch of the food festival at the capitol grounds which will run until Dec. 22. A wide range of food and beverages will be available, including barbeque, inasal, snacks, milk tea, coffee, and alcoholic beverages.
It will cap off with a fireworks display at 6 p.m. in partnership with Iloilo Supermart.
“Let us do this in the season of Christmas. And this celebration is for tourism also,” added the governor. (With a report from LHC/Capitol news)/PN