By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson revealed yesterday morning that the province recorded no new hog deaths.

Based on the Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) data as of June 18, Lacson said hog mortalities are now at 13,418, or 9.38 percent of the province’s 143,102 total hog population.

Losses brought by hog deaths are now close to P151 million.

Lacson said so far he has received no new updates from the Bureau of Animal Industry of any additional cases of African swine fever (ASF).

Currently, capital Bacolod City and Negros Occidental cities of Silay and Victorias, and Pulupandan town have confirmed ASF cases.

Most of the hog mortalities were caused by hog cholera, but PVO data reported there were 120 suspected ASF cases.

Meanwhile, Lacson welcomed the news that the Portuguese government has offered assistance to the Philippine government in addressing ASF in the country.

“I hope they have [an ASF] vaccine,” Lacson said.

He pointed out the ASF vaccine is being requested by local hog raisers as they believe it is the only way of controlling the spread of hog illness.

Last week, House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez welcomed Portugal’s offer to help the Philippines eradicate ASF cases.

Portuguese Ambassador to the Philippines Maria Joào Falcào Poppe Lopes Cardoso relayed the offer to Romualdez when she made a courtesy call, according to a news release from the Speaker’s office.

Cardoso, who is also the concurrent ambassador to Indonesia and Brunei, said a Portuguese company is willing to lend expertise and support to help the Philippines eliminate the highly contagious viral disease affecting domestic pigs.

She noted that the European country has extensive expertise on the matter, being one of the only two countries in the continent that successfully eradicated ASF./DGB, WDJ