Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan has called on the Department of Agriculture (DA) to prioritize the establishment of first-border inspection facilities, emphasizing their critical role in protecting the country’s agricultural sector from invasive pests and diseases that have already caused billions of pesos in losses.

In a statement Saturday, Pangilinan renewed his push for the immediate rollout of Cold Examination Facilities in Agriculture (CEFA), citing the urgent need to bolster the Philippines’ biosecurity measures.

The African swine fever (ASF) outbreak during the Covid-19 pandemic forced the government to temporarily modify the rates of import duty for fresh, chilled, or frozen meat of swine to stabilize supply and prices as the industry suffered from heavy losses.

“ASF was precisely because we didn’t have that first-border inspection, and that cost us, at least in one year, P70 billion, maybe more,” Pangilinan explained.

He also pointed to other major agricultural crises, such as the cocolisap (coconut scale insect) infestation, which led to estimated losses of P4 to P6 billion. Both incidents, Pangilinan stressed, could have been mitigated — or entirely prevented — had early inspection systems been in place at the country’s entry points for imported agricultural goods.

The senator noted that the full cost of constructing five CEFA sites could reach P1.9 billion, but urged the DA to start with three locations to kickstart the project.

CEFA facilities are envisioned as modern inspection hubs equipped with state-of-the-art laboratories, quarantine areas, and testing systems capable of detecting animal and plant diseases before imported goods are distributed across the country.

The goal is to stop invasive threats at the border, rather than attempting to contain outbreaks after they’ve already spread.

Pangilinan underscored that protecting local farmers and producers from biosecurity threats is not just a matter of economics but of national security.