In celebration of the 47th Anniversary of the National Plant Quarantine Services Division (NPQSD), the Bureau of Plant Industry (DA-BPI) officially inaugurated the new Baguio Plant Quarantine Station building to strengthen plant biosecurity in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) and nearby provinces. This aligns with the theme “We Protect as One: Global Harmonization, Protecting Plant Health.”

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Conceptualized in 2017 following client requests for a more accessible office to process Clearances for Domestic Transport of plants and plant products, the new office now replaces the previously limited space occupied within BPI-Baguio.

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The inauguration was graced by BPI Director Gerald Glenn F. Panganiban, Assistant Director for Regulatory Services Ruel C. Gesmundo, NPQSD Chief Joan-May Tolentino, and NPQS Regional and Area Managers from across the country.

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The PQS-CAR plays a crucial role in preventing the entry and spread of plant pests in the region. It facilitates the export of top succulent cuttings to Japan, Arabica coffee beans and hoya plants to the USA, and regulates domestic movement of cactus, succulents, upland vegetables, and ornamentals. The station also conducts nursery inspections and second border inspections of imported potato tubers for planting.

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This milestone supports President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s food security agenda and Secretary Francisco “Kiko” Tiu Laurel Jr.‘s thrusts toward a modern regulatory services that ensure safe, efficient trade for Filipino farmers.

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(061125-14)