- GILBERT BAYORAN
More hog deaths related to the dreaded African Swine Fever (ASF) were reported Monday, June 12, in Silay City.
Mayor Joedith Gallego said the ASF virus was detected in two hogs that came from barangays Patag and Guinhalaran, all in Silay City, where recorded hog deaths already reached 132, as of June 11.
Of the six barangays in Silay subjected to ASF testing, only two have confirmed cases, Gallego added.
The ground zero where ASF cases were detected has already been cordoned off by authorities to prevent the spread of the infection to other areas of Silay.
ASF hog deaths were also reported earlier in the cities of Bacolod and Victorias, as well as in the town of Pulupandan.
Gallego said the spate of hog deaths in Silay has affected the number of slaughtered pigs at the LGU-managed abattoir, which is now down to 40 from the usual 80 pigs a day, due to swine diseases.
In San Enrique town, various hog diseases have almost wiped out the entire pig population, with deaths hitting 2,671, or 99.22 percent of the entire 2,692 swine population, as of June 11, the Provincial Veterinary Office said.
San Enrique Mayor Jilson Tubillara said the municipal government has allocated P2 million in financial aid to hog raisers affected by the swine diseases.
There was no ASF case reported in San Enrique town, only hog cholera and other swine diseases, Tubillara clarified.
All over the province, total hog deaths in 126 affected barangays of 16 local government units rose to 12,139, or 9.26 percent of the total swine population in Negros Occidental.
LGUs with the most number of pig casualties were Bago City with 2,264; Valladolid, 2,132; Pontevedra, 1,204; EB Magalona, 908; and Pulupandan with 803./GB
