• CHERYL G. CRUZ
There are still 18 cities and towns affected by the dreaded African swine fever (ASF) in the Negros Island Region, but down from the 20 LGUs recorded last month, the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) said Nov. 8.
In Negros Occidental, Valladolid is now categorized as pink, or buffer zone, after several months of being in the red, or infected category.
The highly-urbanized Bacolod City, as well as Bago and Escalante, remained under the red zone.
In Negros Oriental, the town of Vallehermoso was also upgraded to the buffer zone category. Still under the red zone are 15 of its 25 localities, including the cities of Dumaguete, Bayawan, and Tanjay, and the towns of Amlan, Ayungon, Bacong, Basay, Bindoy, Dauin, Manjuyod, Pamplona, Siaton, Sibulan, Valencia, and Zamboanguita.
Sipalay City remains as the only LGU in the NIR under the protected zone, or light green category, while the whole island of Siquijor continues to be ASF-free, with all of its six localities – Enrique Villanueva, Larena, Lazi, Maria, San Juan, and Siquijor – in dark green zone, the BAI said.
Candoni, Cauayan, Himamaylan, Hinoba-an, Sagay City, and San Enrique, all in Negros Occidental, and the towns of Jimalalud and La Libertad in Oriental, are under the surveillance, or yellow zone, as per the latest ASF zoning status.
The rest of the towns and cities in Negros are categorized under the pink zone.
The BAI earlier explained that a yellow zone covers areas where ASF has not been detected, but are adjacent to the pink zone. The latter’s category means that ASF is not present but these areas are next to an infected zone.
The BAI said that, as of Oct. 31, there were more than 500 cities and towns still affected by ASF, mostly in Luzon and Mindanao.
About 431 LGUs have been upgraded to pink from red, and 103 now under surveillance category from the buffer zone.
The Department of Agriculture, meanwhile, assured a stable food supply for the Christmas season despite the effects of successive weather disturbances and of ASF.
DA assistant secretary Arnel De Mesa said in a Philippine News Agency report Nov. 8 that supply stability is expected across all agricultural commodities, with minimal price spikes expected amid the Christmas season demand.
De Mesa said there is also enough supply of native hogs for lechon, or roasted pigs, for Christmas despite the effects of ASF. | CGC
