TUGUEGARAO CITY, CAGAYAN----------Regional Bantay ASIN Task Force (RBATF) Region 02 conducted monitoring visit to Santa Fe, Nueva Vizcaya in coordination with PBATF last 31 January and reported a total of 340kgs of inadequately iodized salt.

The visit started with a meeting with Honorable Mayor Liwayway Caramat and discussed the following:

• Acknowledgement of the efforts of the LGU of Santa Fe in hiring a total of six (6) job order personnel to man the MBATF checkpoint that is augmented with five (5) staff from the province. The team has a 24/7 schedule to ensure that only adequate iodized salt will enter the region.
• Purchased of additional WYD iodine checker to be used as a standby and to be used in markets and other sources/sellers of salt to ensure that only adequately iodized salt is sold in the municipality
• The LGU also shared that they conducted meeting with sari-sari stores to may them aware of RA 8172 and to test the iodized salt.
• Provision of solution A and B (from DOST), face mask and alcohol

A total of 39, 129 kgs of salt stopped for inspection and a total of 340 kgs were found to be inadequately iodized that were returned to origin.

After the meeting the team together with Mayor Caramat inspected the proposed asin checkpoint  in Malico, Santa Fe, Nueva Vizcaya. The following were the findings of inspection:

• At present, the area is passed by limited asin traders and just the same they still have to the current MBATF checkpoint.
• Additional manpower required to man the check point will be hired by the LGU which is not feasible due to the decrease of NTA and LGU is already hiring 5 JOs at present to man the present checkpoint.

The Regional Bantay Asin Task Force represented by RNPC Ms. Maria Gisela Lonzaga with NO III Edzell Arcinue and DMO II John Nestor Ballad and technical staff of PNC Nueva Vizcaya conducted the site validation visit to Malico, Santa Fe and monitoring of MBATF checkpoint in Santa Fe, Nueva Vizcaya.

On the other hand, there was no recorded salt testing in Santa Praxades, Cagayan MBATF Checkpoint due to the ongoing recalibration of the WYD Iodine checker by the DOST R02.

NNC R02 ensured the safety of checkpoint personnel by providing alcohol and disposable face masks to frontline officers. Office supplies and adequate solutions A and B for continuous monitoring even during the COVID-19 pandemic were also provided to the Asin checkpoints. ###JNLB