ASF hits 3 Pampanga towns

SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga, Philippines — Three towns in this province have been added to the list of areas hit by African swine fever (ASF).

Gov. Dennis Pineda yesterday confirmed that pigs raised in backyards in Apalit, Candaba and San Simon tested positive for ASF.

Pineda said the 1-7-10 quarantine protocol, regular swine blood tests and checkpoints are being implemented in the towns to prevent the spread of the disease.

San Simon agriculture officer Eleazar Santos said 2,700 pigs in 14 barangays in the town were culled.

In Bulacan, Mayors Ambrocio Cruz of Guiguinto, Enrico Roque of Pandi and Maria Rosario Ochoa-Montejo of Pulilan as well as barangay officials in Bulihan, Plaridel said backyard raisers confirmed that their hogs were also affected by ASF.

At least 30,000 pigs were culled nationwide due to ASF.

Among the affected areas are Barangays San Isidro, San Jose, Macabud, Geronimo, San Rafael and Mascap in Rodriguez; San Mateo, and Cupang in Antipolo, all in Rizal.

Pigs in Barangay Bagong Silangan, Payatas, Tatalon and Pasong Tamo in Quezon City were also affected by ASF.

Ban pork from Luzon

Rosendo So, Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura chairman and National Federation of Hog Farmers Inc. head, said the Department of Agriculture (DA) should ban the entry of pork to the Visayas and Mindanao.

“We should not bring products from Luzon to the Visayas and Mindanao because we do not want to risk contaminating them with ASF,” So told The STAR.

“The DA implemented a ban of pork from countries with ASF even though only certain areas have ASF... We should apply the same policy... when we banned countries with ASF,” he said.

Secretaries William Dar of the DA and Ramon Lopez of the Department of Trade and Industry recently met with hogs raisers and representatives of the Philippine Association of Meat Processors Inc. to discuss public concern over consuming pork and processed meat due to ASF.

Processed meat seized

In Isabela, 7,000 kilos of frozen processed meat were seized from two buses at a quarantine checkpoint in Barangay Alibagu, Ilagan City on Wednesday.

Lt. Col. Arnulfo Ibañez, city police chief, said the buses, which came from Quezon City, were  intercepted at around 2 a.m. and 5 a.m.

No one claimed ownership of the items.

Persona non grata

Meanwhile, the Pangasinan provincial board passed a resolution declaring trader Roger Erpelo, who brought ASF-infected hogs to Mapandan town, as persona non grata. 

Board member Jeremy Agerico Rosario, author of the resolution, said Erpelo’s act was “selfish and irresponsible” and constitutes economic sabotage. 

Fifteen of the 60 live hogs  that Erpelo brought to Barangay Baloling from Bulacan tested positive for ASF.