More LGUs impose pork entry ban as hog death toll continues to rise

By Dolly Yasa

BACOLOD City – Two more local chief executives in the province of Negros Occidental issued a ban order against the entry of pork and pork products into their respective localities as the hog death toll continues to increase due to hog cholera.

Himamaylan City Mayor Raymund Tongson on Thursday issued Executive Order No. 2023-46 banning the entry of live pigs, boar semen, pork and pork products, and other pork-related items from all places outside the city of Himamaylan.

In his executive order, Tongson cited confirmed cases of African Swine Fever in Bacolod City and Pulupandan town.

“There is a need to protect and preserve the swine raising industry in the city of Himamaylan against the fatal effects of ASF and hog cholera,” Tongson said.

Isabela Mayor Irene Montilla issued a similar EO.

Earlier, Moises Padilla Mayor Ella Celestina D. Garcia- Yulo and San Carlos City Mayor Renato Gustilo also issued a ban order against the entry of pork and pork products into their areas.

Meanwhile, the hog death toll in the province continues to increase, reaching 11,056 or 9.77 percent of the swine population in the 16 affected local government units of the province as of June 7.

The Provincial Veterinary Office report revealed that damage to the swine industry has been pegged at P125,341.250, with 2,088 affected hog raisers in 125 barangays of 16 LGUs.

Of the seven Negros Occidental districts, including highly urbanized Bacolod City, only the first district of the province, composed of Don Salvador Benedicto, San Carlos City, Toboso, Calatrava, and Escalante, has not been affected by the hog diseases.

Recently, the deadly African Swine Fever (ASF) virus has been detected in the cities of Bacolod and Victorias, and in the municipality of Pulupandan.

Hog deaths were logged in Ilog and Kabankalan City, Binalbagan and Hinigaran, La Carlota City, Bago City, Pontevedra, Pulupandan, Valladolid, San Enrique, Murcia, Talisa City, EB Magalona and Silay City, Cadiz City and Manapla.

On his part Mayor Salvador Escalante Jr. said that hog deaths in Cadiz City have risen to more than 100, prompting the city government to further tighten precautionary measures against swine diseases.

He said that they have put up animal checkpoints in three areas across Cadiz City to limit the movement of hogs.

As of last week, Escalante said hog cholera remains to be the cause of hog deaths in his city.

He also clarified that the City Veterinary Office distributed vaccines for hogs, not because of the spate of swine deaths, but as part of its routine program.

Escalante admitted that hog illnesses have adversely affected the prices of pork and pork products in the local market, to P180 per kilogram live weight, from P120.