Iloilo allocates P3.98 million for ASF recovery

By Mariela Angella Oladive

The Iloilo Provincial Government, through the Provincial Veterinarian’s Office (PVO), has released P3.98 million in financial assistance to the first batch of local government units (LGUs) under its African Swine Fever (ASF) Recovery Program on Monday, July 29.

The initial beneficiaries include the towns of Barotac Viejo, New Lucena, Sta. Barbara, Dingle, and Banate, which have been upgraded from Red to Pink Zone by the Bureau of Animal Industry.

The Pink Zone designation refers to buffer areas where ASF has not been detected but are adjacent to confirmed infected areas (Red Zone).

The program’s initial phase provided each qualified farmer with two piglets, purchased by their respective LGUs using the allocated provincial funds.

Dr. Darel Tabuada, Provincial Veterinarian, stated that the program prioritizes purchasing from local sources, leveraging their immunity from previous ASF exposure.

“We have criteria, and the identified farmers underwent validation conducted by the PVO staff. Qualified farms should comply with Biosecurity Level 1 requirements,” Tabuada added.

Biosecurity Level 1 refers to the minimum farm biosecurity standards set by the Philippine College of Swine Practitioners (PCSP).

Provincial Administrator Dr. Raul Banias emphasized the program’s importance in aiding the province’s recovery from ASF.

“We hope that we can recover from this since we were net exporters of swine before, but now we have become importers,” said Banias.

Earlier reports indicated that both commercial and backyard farms in Iloilo have resumed swine-raising activities, with the province’s sufficiency level rising to 71.6 percent from a low of 36.37 percent during the peak of the ASF outbreak.

As of July 10, Iloilo’s swine inventory stood at 106,420 heads.

Tabuada mentioned that 15 municipalities have been upgraded from Red to Pink Zones, with only 13 still in the Red Zone. He also discussed ongoing documentation processes for a sentinelling initiative covering 14 municipalities and benefiting 836 farmer-beneficiaries. This initiative is expected to further bolster the province’s swine inventory.

The provincial government has earmarked over P10 million for the ASF recovery initiative.

Dr. Tabuada reiterated the critical importance of biosecurity measures to protect against ASF, highlighting the virus’s ability to survive up to 1,000 days in frozen meat. He stressed the need to strengthen farm biosecurity at the backyard level, emphasizing the importance of adjusting to and accepting the presence of ASF to effectively protect farms.