ILOILO – The Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) has deemed the sentinel program a success as part of the African Swine Fever (ASF) recovery efforts of the provincial government. It contributed to an increase in the province’s swine inventory.
As of February 3, Iloilo’s swine inventory rose to 80,310 heads – an 11.05 percent increase from the previous month’s inventory of 72,320 heads.
ASF is a highly contagious viral disease that affects domestic and wild swine, causing high mortality rates. While not harmful to humans, it has a devastating impact on the pig farming industry due to its rapid spread.
Dr. Darel Tabuada, PVO head, attributed the rise in swine inventory to the sentinel program launched in September 2024.
“Some pigs, especially males, were disposed of. Some females were kept for breeding. There were a few that got sick, but that’s the purpose of the program — to monitor if the virus is still present,” Tabuada said in an interview with Panay News.
Last year, the provincial government allocated P9.6 million for 13 municipalities participating in the sentinel program. These municipalities were Barotac Viejo, New Lucena, Dingle, Banate, Santa Barbara, San Miguel, Concepcion, Lambunao, Zarraga, Janiuay, Batad, Oton, and Mina.
The funds are used to purchase sentinel pigs, which are distributed to qualified farmers, with each farmer receiving two pigs.
According to PVO data, the financial assistance allocated to each participating municipality is as follows: Barotac Viejo – P324,000; New Lucena – P528,000; Dingle – P432,000; Banate – P2,268,000; Santa Barbara – P432,000; San Miguel – P300,000; Concepcion – P240,000; Lambunao – P600,000; Zarraga – P360,000; Janiuay – P1,200,000; Batad – P960,000; Oton – P1,896,000; and Mina – P60,000.
The 13 municipalities have been upgraded from red to pink zone status by the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI).
The pink zone, also referred to as the buffer zone, is an area where ASF has not been detected but is located near confirmed infected regions or red zones.
Gov. Arthur Defensor, Jr. has committed to providing additional funding for the ASF Recovery Program and has instructed continuous monitoring and surveillance at the airport and seaports.
Dr. Tabuada emphasized that while no active ASF cases have been reported in the province, authorities remain on alert as live shipments from Bohol, Cebu, Negros Occidental, and Palawan continue to arrive./PN
