By MERLINDA A. PEDROSA

The Bacolod City government has purchased at least five boxes of African swine fever (ASF) test kits worth P425,000 to help prevent the spread of the hog illness.

City Administrator Mark Steven Mayo said the five boxes, containing 96 test kits, arrived yesterday, and will be turned over to the City Veterinary Office (CVO).

He said the test kits have a shelf life of 21 months, so the city will ensure they are stored properly.

If hog samples test positive, the city has the option of sending the results to the Department of Agriculture’s Regional Office for confirmatory testing.

The city will acquire additional ASF test kits based on CVO’s recommendation.

Meanwhile, Mayo said CVO will determine which barangays will be prioritized for hog testing.

Bacolod earlier recorded four positive cases of ASF.

The hog samples were collected from backyard hog raisers in Barangays Alijis and Taculing on Monday, June 29.

The samples, taken from live pigs, were sent to the Department of Agriculture’s Regional Animal Diagnostic Laboratory in Iloilo City for testing.

Mayo said the city has already started surveillance in various barangays as part of its ASF testing efforts.

The city will be finalizing its personnel deployment plan for the implementation of border control measures on Friday, July 3, which will be coordinated with the CVO, the Bacolod City Police Office, and the Bacolod Traffic and Transport Management Department./MAP, WDJ