ANTIQUE – Hog mortalities in the municipality of Hamtic have spread to 22 barangays with losses now pegged at P11 million.
The Antique Provincial Veterinary Office (ProVet) has so far recorded 1,237 swine deaths and submitted specimen samples to the Regional Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (RADDL) on June 16 for confirmation of the suspected cases of African swine fever (ASF). Results are expected either today or on June 21.
ProVet chief of the Public Health Division Dr. Marco Rafael Ardamil yesterday said once the result is positive, the local government can already declare for a state of calamity so it could utilize its local disaster risk reduction management fund to assist hog raisers.
Meantime, Antique’s Vice Gov. Edgar Denosta who chairs the committee on agriculture in the Provincial Board called for a meeting of all municipal agricultural officers and association of barangay captains on Monday and pushed for the strict implementation of the Bantay ASF sa Barangay (Babay ASF) program.
“Under the Babay ASF Ordinance, the barangay officials have crucial roles in the protection of their barangays,” he said.
Ardamil said barangay officials have four major roles under the Babay ASF – conduct surveillance in hog farms, establish quarantine to prevent spread of the disease like border checkpoint, hold information and education campaign, and organize a quick response team that will be mobilized for disinfection if there is an ASF case.
The ProVet head added they also proposed to Gov. Rhodora J. Cadiao to allocate P10 million as assistance to affected hog raisers.
Hamtic has more or less 9,000 hog population. (PNA)/PN
