NegOcc guv maintains province still ASF-free

By Dolly Yasa

BACOLOD City – Negros Occidental governor Eugenio Jose Lacson on Monday maintained that the province is still free of the African Swine Fever (ASF) despite recent reports that two hogs in Bacolod City that tested positive for the infection came from Bago City.

“Again there has been no declaration as far as the province is concerned that we are ASF infected,” Lacson told reporters here.

“We have been consistent from the very beginning until such time that the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Animal Industry (DA-BAI) will proclaim us as ASF-infected, the province will not declare such.”

On Friday evening last week, Bacolod City Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said two ASF cases were detected in Barangay Taculing.

He said the infected hogs came from neighboring Bago City in the fourth district of the province of Negros Occidental.

“I agree with vice governor Jeffrey Ferrer that only the DA-BAI can declare if we are ASF positive or not,” Lacson further said.

Lacson said so far the province is not affected by cases in Bacolod yet.

“We have a zoning map given by the DA BAI. We have a color coding already,” he added.

He said the province is still in the pink zone (buffer zone) and the green zone.

He said the province is still mostly in the green zone, which means hog product selling is still allowed outside the local government unit (LGU) and the province.

In the pink zone areas, Lacson said selling is allowed even outside the LGU while the red zone is limited to just within the LGU.

Presently, the governor said, “our protocol is geared at addressing whatever virus is present, well it doesn’t matter anymore what kind of virus, we have taken steps to protect per LGU already.”

The governor further said that what the province can confirm are hog cholera cases.

Data from the Provincial Veterinary Office showed that pig mortality has reached 6,774 as of May 27, 2023.

Accumulated losses are estimated at P79,950,575.