The Department of Agriculture (DA) has formed an inter-agency group that will help speed up the construction of the country’s first border inspection facility, which was approved by the Cabinet in 2019.
Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar issued Special Order 644 that created a technical working group (TWG) “to expedite” the establishment of the Cold Examination Facility in Agriculture (CEFA).
Under the SO dated September 3, the TWG will assist the CEFA project management office (PMO) “in the preparation of the conceptual design and performance of specifications and parameters.”
The TWG is also tasked to review the detailed engineering design (DED) of the CEFA and “ensure compliance with existing relevant codes, rules, and regulations.”
The TWG will also supervise the project while assisting the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) in the “evaluation of technical protocols” during the bidding process.
The TWG will be chaired by Engr. Leoncio C. Ventucillo of the BAI while Engr. Louiegi Lorenz M. Centeno of the Bureau of Agricultural and Fisheries Engineering (BAFE) will serve as its vice-chairperson, according to the document.
The TWG will also include 10 technical members from BAI, BAFE, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Bureau of Plant Industry, National Dairy Authority and National Meat Inspection Service.
The establishment of CEFA in the country’s key major ports is a DA program approved by the Cabinet in December 2019. The program seeks to establish five border inspection facilities nationwide with a proposed budget of P2 billion.
The DA had wanted to build the first CEFA in the Manila International Container Terminal (MICT) as early as last year but the construction has been delayed due to technical and logistical concerns.
In March, the DA said it is confident that the CEFA in MICT will be completed before the end of the year.
In July, the DA disclosed that it will also start the construction of the CEFA at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone following its agreement with the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA).
The DA announced that it will conduct a 100 percent inspection of all imported farm products once it completes the construction of its examination facilities in the country’s key ports.
The government is also targeting to build CEFAs which will cost P521 million each in the ports of Batangas, Cebu, and Davao.
The CEFA network, formerly known as Agricultural Commodity Examination Areas, will be equipped with laboratories and manned by quarantine officers from the various DA bureaus.
The DA said each CEFA will have controlled temperature systems that will enable quarantine officers to thoroughly inspect the contents of an identified high-risk containerized shipment and prevent the possible spread of hazardous biological agents, such as toxins, and radioactive elements carried by imported agricultural products.
“In all, the completion of the CEFA network will be one of the major accomplishments of the Duterte administration, as global biosecurity and quarantine protocols are put in place and strictly implemented to keep the country’s agriculture and fishery sector free from transboundary pests and diseases, and protect the health and welfare of Filipinos,” the DA earlier said.