Gov orders hog raisers charged as ASF-infected pigs enter Pangasinan

By Jonas Reyes

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan – Gov. Amado Espino III has ordered illegal hog raisers charged as he confirmed that 15 of  60 hogs delivered from Bulacan to Mapandan, Pangasinan were positive of African swine fever (ASF).

Espino said that this was confirmed after the Mapandan local government unit, the Department of Agriculture and other concerned agencies took blood samples from 60 pigs that came from the town of Bustos.

The governor stated that the reason why these infected pigs arrived here was due to the fact that the truck driver evaded the quarantine checkpoints that were set up in the province.

Barangay Baloling of Mapandan was declared ground zero for the ASF since the village is where the biggest number of infected pigs were delivered.

Espino said that the provincial government will charge hog raisers that are involved in the infection of the pigs in Mapandan.

The government has already taken steps to cull the pigs within 10 kilometers of the area.

 Espino III earlier directed mayors, barangay captains and the people of Pangasinan to stay vigilant in guarding all entry points in the province of meat products that could be infected with ASF.

Espino said, these included monitoring in barangay roads, used by illegal hog traders to transport live swine sourced out from areas affected by ASF.

The province has been strictly manning 11 animal quarantine checkpoints established by the provincial government in all major entry points of the province, in coordination with the police force.

Espino noted that illegal traders pass through “iskinitas” using various tactics to evade attention of authorities.

In a press conference Sept 28 held at the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office in Lingayen , Espino announced that 15 of the 30 blood samples taken from the hogs that were confiscated and condemned in Barangay Baloling in Mapandan last September 26 tested positive of ASF.

Two swine traders, Roger Erpelo and Jaime Garcia, both residents of Barangay Baloling in Mapandan, violated Executive Order 0092-2019 issued on September 10 issued by Espino who ordered a temporary total ban on the entry of all live swine/pigs into the province of Pangasinan.

Meanwhile, there is an assurance that pork and pork products in Baguio City are safe from ASF because of the stringent safeguards being implemented by the Benguet provincial government in the light of the ASF outbreak in some provinces.

Baguio City Veterinarian Brigit Piok said the Benguet provincial government had imposed a ban on pork, pork products and live swine coming from all ASF affected areas as part of its effort to protect its swine industry from the deadly and highly contagious viral disease that affects pigs.

With the prohibition, all pork, pork products and live swine coming from the seven areas with ASF outbreaks namely Quezon City, Quezon Province, Bulacan, Pasig, Caloocan, Rizal and Marikina have not been allowed entry to the province even if these products were issued veterinary health certificates, meat inspection certificates and shipping permits. -- With Aldwin Quitasol