BORDER CONTROL. Antique Board Member Egidio Elio, during their regular provincial council session on Monday (July 17, 2023), says a serious implementation of border controls is necessary to prevent the further spread of the African swine fever in the province. The disease has been recorded in 49 villages. (PNA photo by Annabel Consuelo J. Petinglay)
SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA, Antique – The Provincial Veterinary (ProVet) Office asked travelers to Antique to submit their bags and other items to checkpoints at provincial border controls as a measure to prevent the further spread of the African swine fever (ASF).
ASF has been recorded in 49 villages in the province -- 17 in San Jose de Buenavista and 32 in Hamtic.
“Please submit for inspection for it would only take a few minutes,” said ProVet chief Florencio Macuja, who appeared before the regular session of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (Provincial Board) to shed light on the spread of the animal disease.
Macuja lamented there are commuters who refused to have their bags inspected while others speed up to evade border control.
The establishment of the border control is mandated under Provincial Ordinance Number 2020-242 as a means to prevent the entry of any pig, boar semen, pork, and pork products, including food items containing pork, from ASF-affected provinces for trading or any other purpose.
A penalty of not less than PHP1,000 but not exceeding PHP5,000 or imprisonment of not less than six months will be charged against anyone trying to smuggle the prohibited items into the province.
He added that border controls are in place in the towns of Hamtic and Anini-y in the southern part of the province adjacent to Iloilo and in the towns of Libertad and Pandan in the north next to Aklan, contrary to observations raised by some board members on the laxity of the implementation.
“The presence of police personnel augmenting our two contractual personnel assigned at each of the border control is a big help,” Macuja said, adding they make commuters yield for the inspection.
Vehicles must be flagged down to make sure their passengers do not carry pork products or by-products from other provinces that have already been contaminated with ASF, according to Board Member Egidio Elio during the session.
“The border control is so important to prevent the spread of the ASF,” Elio said, stating that other towns should be protected. (PNA)
