ANTIQUE – To prevent the highly contagious African Swine Fever (ASF) from spreading to other parts of the town, San Jose de Buenavista’s Mayor Elmer Untaran ordered additional measures.
Two samples from Barangay Bugarot, which is adjacent to the town of Hamtic – the first in the province to record ASF infections – tested positive for the hog disease.
On Tuesday, June 27, Untaran issued Executive Order (EO) No. 42 stating: “There’s a present danger that the infestation will spread throughout the municipality considering the accessibility of all barangays and the ease and availability of public transport.”
Meanwhile, Antique Provincial Veterinary Office – Public Health Division chief Dr. Marco Rafael Ardamil said the slaughter of swine and the circulation of boars for insemination are being considered “super spreaders” of ASF.
Ardamil added that based on the experience of Hamtic, where index cases were recorded, hogs were slaughtered in backyards and sold to ambulant vendors since the municipality has no slaughterhouse.
“ASF had spread fast in Hamtic because the slaughtered hogs were not monitored in the absence of a slaughterhouse,” he said.
Untaran through EO No. 42 ordered the following:
* Circulation of boars for insemination purposes is temporarily suspended until the municipality registers a zero-ASF status. Likewise, artificial insemination is prohibited.
* Slaughtering of swine in the barangays is temporarily prohibited. It shall be done at the municipal slaughterhouse in Barangay San Pedro, with health certification from the barangay captain where it came from.
* Field technicians from agricultural product companies are temporarily prohibited from entering the barangays to provide technical assistance to hog raisers or promote their products.
* Agricultural technicians from our Municipal Agricultural Office are required to wear protective clothing and must disinfect themselves and their gear before and after conducting monitoring visits to the barangays, especially in pig farms/pens.
* All barangay officials are urged to assist in the monitoring and surveillance of ASF cases in their respective barangays and report the same to our Municipal Agricultural Technicians. Likewise, barangay officials are enjoined to assist in implementing measures at designated checkpoints (Maybato Sur, Bariri, Bugarot, and Inabasan to stop the spread of ASF in the municipality.
* Depopulation of swine within the 500-meter radius in all ASF-positive barangays as per guidance by the Department of Agriculture will be strictly implemented.
Last week, after an ASF was detected in Hamtic, Untaran issued EO No. 37 with the following measures put in place:
* Banning the circulation of boar and artificial insemination breeding services, swine, pork, pork products and processed products from the Municipality of Hamtic from entering the Municipality of San Jose de Buenavista or transiting hereto.
* Towards this end, border control inspections manned by Barangay Officials with the assistance of personnel from the Local Philippine National Police and Municipal Agriculture Office be established in the following Barangays of this municipality: Maybato Sur, Inabasan, Bariri, Supa, and Pantao.
* The Philippine National Police and the Barangay Officials are directed to conduct the operations of the border control inspections for 14 days from the effectivity of this order.
* All the swine and pork products from other towns will continue to be accepted in the municipality. (With a report from PNA)/PN
