Supplemental Circular Based on the Memorandum Issued by the Executive Secretary on Enhanced Community Quarantine, Ensuring Unhampered Movement of All Cargoes, Agriculture and Fishery Inputs, Food Products and Agribusiness Personnel Nationwide

March 20, 2020

DA MEMORANDUM CIRCULAR NO. 09-20

 

In compliance to the Memorandum from the Executive Secretary issued March 16, 2020 and the Memorandum Circular No. 77 "Directing All Government Agencies, Offices and Instrumentalities, as well as Local Government Units, to Implement and Ensure Compliance with the Issuances of the Department of Health and Department of Agriculture on the Prices of Essential Emergency Medicines and Supplies, and Selected Agriculture and Fishery Commodities" by the Office of the President issued March 17, 2020, movement of cargoes in any forms of conveyance, shall be unhampered, and prices of agriculture and fishery commodities shall be stabilized.

To complement the said issuances, the Department has issued Memorandum Circular No. 07 (series of 2020) to ensure that every Filipino household in Luzon and high dense metropolitan areas will have access to safe and affordable food.

This Memorandum Circular covers the implementation of the Food Resiliency Protocol for Luzon to include the entire country.

The following guidelines are hereby added for the information and guidance of all concerned:

• The objectives of this Circular are: 1) to ensure unhampered movement of cargoes, agriculture and fishery inputs and other food products to, from, and passing through NCR and the rest of the country; 2) to stabilize prices of agri-fishery inputs and other food products; and 3) to cascade the action points in this Memorandum Circular from the national level to the regional and local levels.

• All agricultural supply stores/outlets nationwide and animal clinics must be allowed to operate under a skeletal force as part of the enhanced community quarantine measures in order for farmers, fisherfolks, and livestock raisers with the essential inputs to sustain and support the production and processing of agricultural and fishery commodities and/or products.

• Inclusion of copra and coconut by-products under food commodities, such as copra and charcoal from coconut, except for lumber.

• Cargo Lane is one of the lanes designated by the Philippine National Police (PNP) in checkpoints where agriculture and fisheries inputs and food products are transported through all forms of conveyance (air, water and land) across all modes of deliveries (small, medium, large). Priority for entry to cargo lanes shall be given to truckers/suppliers with Food Pass.

• All farming and fishing activities shall continue to ensure sufficient food supply across the country. These activities include, but not limited to land preparation, planting, crop maintenance, harvesting, threshing, drying, milling, sorting, packaging and trading.

• All farmers and farm workers, fisherfolk and agribusiness personnel shall be exempted from doing home quarantine provided that 1) one does not exhibit any one of the symptoms of COVID-19, 2) number of working farmers/fisherfolk/farm personnel is at a minimum and 3) safety protocols are ensured and social distancing is practiced in the workplace.

• Food pass accreditation is FREE OF CHARGE.

For your guidance.

(SGD.) WILLIAM D. DAR, Ph.D.Secretary of Agriculture