Philippine leader Duterte feasts on chicken and duck to allay public fears after large bird flu outbreak
Avian flu strain found this month in Pampanga province was H5N6, a type that was discovered in China in 2005 and can be transmitted to humans
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte ate grilled chicken, duck and eggs with other officials on Monday to help allay fears caused by the country’s first large outbreak of avian flu.
Accompanied by his health and agriculture secretaries and other officials, Duterte travelled to northern Pampanga province and feasted with his bare hands on the poultry, spread on banana leaves in a traditional feast in front of journalists and TV cameras.
“If it’s really your time, it doesn’t matter what you eat,” Duterte told the audience in jest.
Authorities killed more than 600,000 chickens, ducks, quails, pigeons and game fowls at the height of the outbreak this month in poultry farms in Pampanga and Nueva Ecija provinces, causing a drop in prices and consumption along with misery for farm owners and workers.
WATCH: Duterte leads boodle fight here in San Fernando City, Pampanga amid avian flu outbreak in the country. @sunstaronline pic.twitter.com/eEzC9Gfitj— Ruth Abbey Gita (@RuthAbbey) August 28, 2017
“I assure the public that the poultry products in Pampanga and Nueva Ecija are safe for consumption,” Duterte said.
