DEPUTY Majority Leader and Iloilo First District Representative Janette Garin questioned the Department of Agriculture (DA) due to lack of allocation for rabies vaccines.
“Nakakapagtaka this preventable disease has actually slowed down the past years, pero ngayon tumaas siya and supposedly the Department of Agriculture would have been spending rabies vaccine for our dogs, lalo na ‘yung mga stray dogs. Parang nawalan na yata ng pondo,” Garin said during the budget deliberations of DA.
“May I know why rabies vaccination has been taken out among the priorities of the Department?” the lawmaker then asked DA.
DA Undersecretary Agnes Catherine Miranda responded that for the past years the agency has fund for the said vaccines, however, currently those are within the mandates of local government units.
The House appropriations panel vice chairperson stressed the danger of having stray dogs unvaccinated against rabies, in which its bite may cause death to humans, adding that vaccines will be a tool to protect individuals from grave harm that may be caused by the disease.
“Mahal ang human anti-rabies vaccine at kulang kulang ang binibigay ng gobyerno. Nakakamatay ito at walang gamot. Minsan hindi naman naibibigay na libre ang full dose ng rabies vaccine sa tao . Kaakibat ng solusyon sa ‘zero rabies death’ ay ang pambabakuna sa mga aso,” Garin stressed.
“Patuloy nanganganib ang mga taong makakasalubong ng ‘dog without an owner’ and unvaccinated dogs,” Garin added.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 59,000 human deaths were cause by rabies anually in over 150 countries, with 95 percent of cases occurring in Africa and Asia.
The lawmaker urged the DA to stop pointing at LGUs. Rabies vaccine for dogs only costs Php10 each.
“Napakamura na nga. Ipinagkait pa.”
“Tignan po natin kung paano natanggal o nawala [‘yung pondo para sa rabies vaccines]… I cannot swallow people dying from preventable illnesses,” Garin said.
“It is imperative that DA brings back rabies vaccines for dogs,” Garin pointed out.
