BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL G. BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson revealed yesterday morning that there are no new barangays in Negros Occidental affected by hog mortalities.
As of Sunday, June 18, hog mortalities reached 13,418 or 9.38 percent of the province’s total hog population of 143,102, data from the Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) showed.
Losses brought by hog mortalities were pegged at around P151 million.
According to Lacson, so far he has received no new updates from the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) regarding any additional cases of African Swine Fever (ASF).
Currently, only the cities of Silay, Victorias and Bacolod, and the town of Pulupandan have confirmed ASF cases.
Most of the hog mortalities were caused by hog cholera, although data from the PVO reported there are 120 suspected ASF cases.
Meanwhile, the governor welcomed the news that the Portuguese government has offered assistance to the Philippine government in addressing ASF.
“I hope they have a [ASF] vaccine,” Lacson said.
ASF vaccines are being requested by local hog raisers; they believe it is the only way to control the spread of ASF.
Last week, House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez welcomed the offer of Portugal to help the Philippines eradicate ASF.
Portugal’s non-resident Ambassador to the Philippines Maria Joào Falcào Poppe Lopes Cardoso relayed the offer to Romualdez when she made a courtesy call at the West Room of the Manila Golf and Country Club.
Cardoso, who is the concurrent Portuguese Ambassador to Indonesia and Brunei, said a Portuguese company is willing to lend its expertise to help the Philippines eliminate the highly contagious viral disease affecting domestic pigs.
Portugal is one of only two countries in Europe that successfully eradicated ASF./PN
