ILOILO City – From pink, the town of Leganes in Iloilo province is now a red (infected) zone after logging moreccases of African Swine Fever (ASF).
Provincial veterinarian, Dr. Darel Tabuada, confirmed that another barangay in the municipality – Barangay Guinobatan – also logged more confirmed cases of ASF.
Tabuada said the ASF taskforce extracted two samples from a backyard farm in the said barangay and both were positive for the disease.
Because there are succeeding cases outside the .5-kilometer radius from the town’s first infected hog farm in Barangay MV Hechanova, the whole town is now considered a red zone.
As of this writing, Tabuada said, there was ongoing depopulation of hog heads on the site.
He could not give a specific number yet as to how many hogs in Barangay Guinobatan will be depopulated.
Last week, around 80 hog heads were depopulated within the .5-kilometer radius from the infected farm in Barangay MV Hechanova.
Relative to this, Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. issued Executive Order (EO) No. 460-B which amended EO No. 460, implementing adjusted quarantine procedures and disease prevention and control measures against ASF in Iloilo province.
Under the amended EO, the movement of live pigs, pork, pork products (fresh/frozen pork products and uncooked processed pork products, except, cooked and canned processed pork products), and swine genetic materials in and out of the red municipalities of Oton, Leganes and San Miguel is prohibited.
Their red zone status will remain until lifted.
Meanwhile, the EO further reiterated that the following containment measures shall be implemented:
* intensified monitoring, surveillance, investigation and test and destroy operations, within the municipality by the local ASF taskforces (LATFs);
* movement of live pigs, pork, pork products (fresh/frozen pork products and uncooked processed pork products, except cooked and canned processed pork products), and swine genetic materials from the quarantine area (QA) – area up to one kilometer from the infected area (IP), to outside quarantine area (OQA) – area outside the one kilometer radius from the IP, up to the administrative boundary of the city/municipality classified as red (infected) zone, shall be prohibited;
* public/delivery transport shall not carry/deliver live pigs, pork, pork products (fresh/frozen pork products and uncooked processed pork products, except cooked and canned processed pork products), and swine genetic materials from and into the municipalities of Oton, San Miguel and Leganes;
* conduct of red zone quarantine checkpoints by the LATFs and the Philippine National Police; and
* concerned LATFs shall conduct monitoring of transport terminals for enforcement of this provision.
Also, another section of the EO provides that the interzonal movement (red, pink, yellow, light green, and dark green zones) of live pigs, pork, pork products (fresh/frozen pork products, uncooked processed pork products and cooked and canned processed pork products), and swine genetic materials outside the red (infected) zone (or outside the municipalities of Oton, San Miguel and Leganes) shall be governed by Section II of DA-AC 02-2022 or National Zoning and Movement Plan for the Prevention and Control of ASF.
Pursuant to DA-AC 02-2022, commercial farms located in the quarantine area – up to one kilometer radius from the infected premises – that intend to move their live pigs for slaughter must demonstrate evidence of ASF surveillance for the past three months prior to its inclusion in the quarantine area.
Backyard farms in the quarantine area that intend to move their live pigs can move to the locally registered meat establishment (LRME) within their city or municipality, provided that a veterinary health certificate (VHC) has been issued by the local veterinary authorities; and that the slaughtered pork must be moved within their city or municipality only./PN
