DEPOPULATION. The depopulating team gathers at the multipurpose gym of Barangay MV Hechanova in Leganes town prior to the conduct of the depopulation to ASF-affected swine. Five municipalities in Iloilo province have reported cases of ASF. (Photo courtesy of Leganes LGU)
ILOILO CITY – Leganes town in Iloilo province has completed the depopulation of 82 swine, mostly piglets, that are infected by the African swine fever Sunday.
"We have no piggery farms, those are all backyard, around 17 hog raisers," said Leganes municipal administrator David Israel Sinay in an interview on Monday.
The backyard raisers were all from Barangay MV Hechanova, where the first three cases of ASF were confirmed last week.
Mayor Vicente Jaen II has earlier directed the respective Barangay Livestock Aid (BALA) of the town's 18 villages to assist the local government and the municipal agriculture office in the efforts against ASF and to conduct surveillance.
"Sa subong waay pa sang may nagsulod nga (new) positive so ang amon mag monitor lang tanan kay ka dasig maglapta (For now there are no new positive cases but everyone has to monitor because it spreads very fast)," he said, adding that so far there are no specimens pending for release at the Regional Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory.
Sinay said they have no idea if there were areas where animals could be manifesting symptoms so it would be best that the public stays vigilant.
The mayor, he said, has instructed all barangays to conduct a swine inventory in their areas.
Executive Order No. 53 released on Nov. 3 also prohibited roadside/sidewalk vending, he added.
So far they have closed down 22 "talipapa" selling pork along the national roads and pork can only be sold inside the public market.
The LGU, he added, is also coordinating with the Office of the Provincial Veterinary because they could not restrict the sale of pork from barangays that are not infected.
"Leganes is not a red zone yet. Only the affected barangay is considered as the red zone," he said.
Meanwhile, Iloilo Provincial Veterinarian Dr. Darel Tabuada confirmed in a media interview on Monday the spread of ASF cases in one barangay in the town of Sta. Barbara.
The result came out on Saturday and the LGU has already put in place border control. Samples were taken from three farmers and two came out positive. The LGU is also talking to affected farmers about the conduct of the depopulation.
Currently, five LGUs have already confirmed ASF cases to include Oton, San Miguel and Alimodian. (PNA)
