Pork supply will not be affected by ASF, mayor says

By John Noel E. Herrera

Iloilo City Mayor Jerry P. Treñas said the supply of pork in the city will not be affected amid the first confirmed case of African Swine Fever in the metro.

“Indi because ang supply ta sa city laban sa mga piggery bala nga nagasulod diri. Sa mga areas man nga sa subong ara sa green zone,” Treñas said during his regular press conference on Monday, Nov 28, 2022.

The mayor also emphasized that the public should not panic as the city government is doing its best to contain the spread of ASF.

“No need for any alarm kay ti gin pauntat ang pag-pagwa sang mga baboy subong ti basi ang problema ta pa gani is oversupply,” he added.

The city government, through the city agriculture office, is also coordinating with the Department of Agriculture (DA)-6 in the inventory and depopulation of pigs within the affected areas, which are mostly from backyard farms.

“Ang backyard delikado gid kaayo because unlike sa mga piggery nga dalagko nga ang ila biosecurity strikto. Kapin pa ang backyard most of the time gina-usar nila damog, ti kun amu na, mas madasig pa gid ang paglapta,” he added.

Treñas also said that they are still waiting for the result of the second batch of blood samples that were tested for ASF in Manila.

“Mapadala pa ta samples within the 15-day period mapadala pa ta kay ti gusto ta man mabalik dayon sa green zone,” Treñas added.

Treñas also revealed that the city government is planning to provide cash assistance amounting to P5,000 for every pig subjected to depopulation.

Security measures inside the city’s slaughterhouse are also tightened and the facility is regularly disinfected with live hogs being slaughtered immediately upon their arrival.

Meanwhile, prices of pork in the Iloilo Terminal Market also decreased to P230 from P250 last week.

There are also several non-market vendors in the areas of Brgy. Calumpang in Molo district and Brgy. Santo Niño Norte in Arevalo that sold pork at P200/kg.

On Nov 24, 2022, Iloilo City recorded its first confirmed ASF case after one sample from 17 samples collected from a backyard farm in Zone 5 Brgy. Tacas, Jaro tested positive for ASF.

Trenas said that the back portion of Brgys Sambag and San Isidro in Jaro, Iloilo, as well as a small area in Ungka, Pavia, Iloilo were included in the 500-meter radius from the index case of ASF.

As of this writing, the mayor said that there is no available data yet as to the number of depopulated hogs in the affected areas, as he was just set to meet with the DA-6 officials.