• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The estimated value of hog losses in San Enrique, Negros Occidental has now reached P5 million as local authorities continue to monitor the spread of the disease and investigate its exact cause.
San Enrique Mayor Jilson Tubillara said on Friday, June 26 that the Municipal Agriculture Office (MAO) is conducting continuous field inspections to determine the exact number of affected hogs, noting that reports of deaths continue to rise daily.
Tubillara said the local government unit has intensified containment measures through the assistance of the MAO, which has been helping hog raisers properly dispose of dead animals by burying carcasses, applying lime to prevent contamination, and disinfecting affected areas.
The mayor earlier confirmed that African swine fever (ASF) has been detected in the southern Negros municipality.
However, authorities are still determining whether ASF is also responsible for the deaths of hogs in other affected areas, pending laboratory confirmation.
Despite the mounting losses, Tubillara said they are not yet considering placing San Enrique under a state of calamity, saying efforts to contain the outbreak remain effective.
Ric Lauron, president of the Alliance of Hog Raisers Association of Negros Occidental, reported that 64 hogs have also died in Himamaylan City.
He, however, said that they are still awaiting the results of blood samples collected from the animals.
Lauron said while ASF and hog cholera are among the possible causes being investigated, no official declaration can be made without laboratory confirmation.
He noted that the scare has significantly affected the local hog industry, with the buying price of live hogs dropping to only P100 to P120 per kilogram.
Lauron said consumer demand for pork has also declined as many residents remain wary due to fears over ASF, prompting some meat shops to temporarily suspend operations.
Despite these developments, Lauron stressed that the reported cases are not yet alarming, considering that the deaths account for only a small percentage of Himamaylan City’s overall hog population.
In Ilog, Mayor John Paul Alvarez has requested the provincial government to investigate the cause of more than 30 hog deaths reported in six lowland barangays.
Alvarez said blood samples taken from the dead hogs have been submitted for laboratory examination.
As a precautionary measure, the municipal government is planning to establish border control checkpoints to help prevent the possible spread of the disease.
Hinobaan Mayor Daph Reliquias said they also tightened regulations on the entry of imported meat products following reports of hog deaths in neighboring localities.
Reliquias said Hinoba-an has maintained its border checkpoints in compliance with the order of Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson.
Checkpoints remain operational in Barangay Talagacay along the municipality’s northern border and in Barangay Sangke, near the boundary with Basay, Negros Oriental, to monitor the movement of livestock and meat products. | GPB
