Manila—Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. announced plans on Wednesday to broaden the government-controlled vaccination program against African swine fever (ASF) to the Visayas and Mindanao regions starting October.

According to the Philippines News Agency, Secretary Laurel outlined the timeline for the procurement of 150,000 vaccine doses, with a target date of October 10 for awarding the contract to the supplier, who is expected to deliver the vaccines immediately. The expansion will initially target red zones—areas with active ASF cases—including La Union, Quezon, Mindoro, Cebu, North Cotabato, and Sultan Kudarat. As of September 6, the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) identified 472 barangays in 109 municipalities across 31 provinces as red zones.

During a Senate committee hearing on ASF, Laurel echoed Senator Cynthia Villar’s sentiment on the necessity for more vaccine suppliers in the country. Currently, the Department of Agriculture (DA) uses AVAC live vaccines sourced from Vietnam for its controlled vaccination efforts in Batangas. Laurel highlighted the challenges of relying on a single supplier and noted that while only one supplier applied two years ago, six more have applied either earlier this year or late last year.

The agriculture chief also committed to consulting experts to fast-track the approval and trial processes for new ASF vaccines from multiple countries including the United States, South Korea, Thailand, Norway, and two additional suppliers from Vietnam. He described the urgency of shortening the typically year-long trial period to about six months due to the current crisis.

Laurel expressed optimism that at least one to two more ASF vaccines could be approved by next year, enhancing the country's capacity to manage and mitigate the spread of ASF more effectively.