By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga
An inter-local government unit (LGU) ban on live hogs and pork products was enforced by five localities in Negros Occidental amid the threat of confirmed African swine fever (ASF) cases in the province and capital Bacolod City.
The cities of Himamaylan and San Carlos, and the towns of Isabela, La Castellana and Moises Padilla have implemented a ban on pork items as of yesterday.
Himamaylan City Mayor Rogelio Raymund Tongson Jr., in a directive issued on Thursday, June 8, said there is a need to protect and preserve the swine-raising industry in the city, especially the backyard farmers, against the fatal effects of ASF and hog cholera.
San Carlos City Mayor Renato Gustilo already issued an executive order on May 31, which bans live hogs, pork and pork-related food products from ASF- and hog cholera-affected areas.
Meanwhile, in Isabela, Mayor Irene Montilla also prohibited the entry of pigs and pork-related products “due to the increasing number of ASF cases in Negros Occidental,” based on a memorandum on Wednesday, June 7.
La Castellana Mayor Rhummyla Nicor-Mangilimutan also ordered a ban on pork products in her executive order issued yesterday.
“There is a need for all live pigs, boar semen, pork and pork-processed products from any other cities and municipalities in Negros Occidental to be banned from entering the municipality since there were already detected positive cases of ASF in the neighboring towns,” Mangilimutan said.
On the other hand, Moises Padilla town also enforced a total ban on the entry of live hogs and pork meat products from other localities after ASF cases were first detected in Bacolod last May.
Four ASF cases have already been reported in two city villages.
Earlier, Victorias City reported nine confirmed ASF cases while Pulupandan town detected one case.
Negative for ASF
Blood samples taken from hogs in two villages in Negros Occidental’s Hinigaran town were all tested negative for ASF.
Mayor Jose Nadie Arceo said laboratory tests from the Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) revealed negative results on hog blood samples.
He added that they are waiting for a validation report from the Department of Agriculture in Western Visayas.
The mayor said they enforced a lockdown in barangays Camba-og and Anahaw upon receiving information that seven pigs had tested positive for ASF in Victorias City, which reportedly said it originated from the two villages.
PVO’s latest data as of June 8, showed Hinigaran recorded seven hog mortalities, or 0.09 percent of the town’s 7,461 swine population.
Meanwhile, the PVO said, based on their monitoring, the number of hog deaths in Negros Occidental is increasing every day.
PVO officer-in-charge Dr. Placeda Lemana said 11,367 pigs have already died, most of which were caused by hog cholera, which already affected 2,088 raisers in 125 barangays.
Lemana said the damage to the swine industry is now at P128.2 million. / With reports from PNA / DGB, WDJ