- GILBERT BAYORAN
The local government units of Kabankalan City and Hinoba-an in Negros Occidental have dispatched more personnel to man checkpoints at their borders with Negros Oriental, where deadly African Swine Fever (ASF) cases have been detected by the Department of Agriculture.
Negros Occidental, which remains free of ASF, is now surrounded with islands and provinces, including Panay, Guimaras, Cebu, and Negros Oriental, whose swine industry had been hit by the deadly virus.
Kabankalan Mayor Benjie Miranda said Wednesday that they also established border control checkpoints at the boundary of Kabankalan and Himamaylan City, and at its borders with Ilog and Cauayan, aside from the existing checkpoint near the border of Mabinay in Negros Oriental.
Sherwin Sapian, executive assistant of Hinoba-an Mayor Daph Anthony Reliquias, also reported that they reinforced their border security personnel in Brgy. Sangke, which is near the border with Basay, Negros Oriental.
Sapian said they consider the border as the “first line of defense against ASF”.
“Personnel assigned at the border have orders from the mayor to arrest anyone trying to treacherously bring in pork and pork products through the border from Basay town, the last municipality of Negros Oriental,” he said.
While Negros Occidental remains ASF free, the province is battling hog cholera cases, with symptoms similar to ASF, as well as pneumonia and other swine diseases.
The Provincial Veterinary Office has logged 5,252 hog deaths.
Damage to the Negros Occidental hog industry has been placed by PVO at P63.5 million./GB
