ILOILO – The Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) distributed P8,201,000 in financial assistance to over 800 hog farmers in 18 towns affected by the African Swine Fever (ASF).
Here is the breakdown of the aid per town: Oton (198 farmers or P1,745,000), San Miguel (121 farmers or P1,374,000), Alimodian (17 farmers or P194,000), Leganes (44 farmers or P453,000), Mina (18 farmers or P183,000), New Lucena (93 farmers or P909,000), Santa Barbara (46 farmers or P450,000), Barotac Viejo (68 farmers or P604,000), Barotac Nuevo (41 farmers or P437,000), Pototan (one farmer or P30,000), Janiuay (22 farmers or P300,000), Zarraga (17 farmers or P167,000), Concepcion (33 farmers or P334,000), San Dionisio (34 farmers or P307,000), Batad (P429,000), Dumangas (eight farmers or 82,000), Balasan (two farmers or P32,000), and Estancia (10 farmers or P171,000).
The PVO is also processing checks worth P2,002,000 for additional farmers from the towns of Oton (196 farmers or P1,471,000), Mina (four farmers or P44,000), Dingle (55 farmers or P430,000), Dumangas (two farmers or P27,000), and Lambunao (one farmer or P30,000).
Moreover, it is validating documents from the towns that have yet to receive financial assistance.
Based on the executive order of Gov. Arthur Defensor, Jr., the amount of financial assistance to affected farmers will be based on the number of ASF-affected swine heads, whether sow, fattener, or young swine (except sucklings), as follows:
* one to five hog heads – P7,000
* six to 10 hog heads – P10,000
* 11 to 15 hog heads – P15,000
* 16 to 20 hog heads – P20,00
* 21 to 25 hog heads – P25,000; and
* 26 hog heads and above – P30,000
Defensor said the provincial government is also focused on recovery programs.
“We have chosen municipalities to implement our recovery program — the sentineling program, together with the Department of Agriculture (DA),” said Defensor.
Last week, PVO head Dr. Darel Tabuada said seven municipalities expressed interest in availing themselves of the DA’s sentineling program. These were Santa Barbara, Concepcion, Leganes, San Miguel, Alimodian, Ajuy, and Zarraga.
Each hog raiser will be given one sentinel piglet to raise, which will be monitored to see whether or not it gets infected by the hog disease.
Last week, the PVO, livestock technicians, and DA met to establish the requirements. It was also agreed that the program would be implemented at the barangay level for closer monitoring.
The following were the criteria:
* no recorded ASF outbreak in the barangay for the past 40 days
* if possible, the barangay had zero swine left
* if there are swine left, it is encouraged that the hog raiser include them in the sentinelling program
* biosecurity measures should still be in place.
“The barangay should have no pigs left, or if there are still some, the farmer is encouraged that it will be part of the sentinelling program,” Tabuada said in Hiligaynon.
Within 40 days, the PVO, DA and Municipal Agriculture Office will monitor the sentinel piglet regularly by collecting blood samples to test for ASF infection.
Once the test shows that the sentinel piglet is not infected, the farmer will be given two additional sentinel piglets.
The program aims to determine if ASF-affected hog raisers could gradually return to raising swine.
As of this writing, 27 towns in Iloilo were affected by ASF: Oton, San Miguel, Alimodian, Santa Barbara, Leganes, New Lucena, Mina, Janiuay, Dumangas, Barotac Nuevo, Pototan, Dingle, Banate, Barotac Viejo, Ajuy, Zarraga, Concepcion, San Dionisio, Batad, Estancia, Balasan, Maasin, Badiangan, Dueñas, San Enrique, Lambunao, and Carles./PN
