City Council urges city vet office to intensify border inspection vs ASF

By Dolly Yasa

BACOLOD City – Bacolod City councilor Kalaw Puentevella urged the City Veterinarian Office (CVO) here to intensify border inspections of inbound pork products and live hogs within the jurisdiction of Bacolod City to curtail the spread of African Swine Fever (ASF).

Puentevella also requested the CVO to conduct intensified testing and monitoring of live hogs within the jurisdiction of the city.

The councilor made this call in two separate resolutions approved by the Sangguniang Panlungsod, Wednesday.

Puentevella contended that ASF is a highly contagious viral disease of domestic and wild pigs, with a mortality rate that can reach 100 percent.

He cited that on May 26, Bacolod City recorded the first two swine fever cases in Barangay Taculing in this city.

Meanwhile, 12 sick pigs died in Purok Paghidaet, Barangay Tangub in this city while 23 others were culled on Wednesday, May 3.

This is a precautionary measure against the spread of suspected African swine fever (ASF), Barangay Captain Noli Villarosa said.

He said that the Bacolod City government is waiting for the Bureau of Animal Industry test results on pig blood samples from Tangub after two were suspected to have died from ASF.

Villarosa said the 35 affected pigs belonged to two hog raisers.

He also said the hog raisers were hesitant about killing 23 other pigs that were still healthy, but they agreed to the culling of the pigs by electrocution after the barangay government offered to pay P3,000 for each pig.

Villarosa said he oversaw the burying of the pigs to ensure that health precautions were observed.