ANTIQUE — The Antique Provincial Government has intensified border control measures against African Swine Fever (ASF), with Gov. Paolo Javier ordering stricter inspections and additional personnel at provincial entry points to keep the province free from the highly contagious swine disease.
Javier directed authorities to strictly enforce border control protocols on the transport of live hogs and pork products following confirmed and suspected ASF cases in neighboring provinces in Western Visayas and the Negros Island Region.
“There are confirmed and suspected cases in our neighboring provinces in Region 6. We need to strictly monitor our borders because we do not want ASF to return to Antique,” the governor said.
According to the Office of the Provincial Veterinarian (ProVet), Antique remains free of confirmed and suspected ASF cases despite outbreaks reported in Iloilo, Capiz, and Negros Occidental.
Provincial Veterinarian Dr. Florencio Macuja said veterinary control border stations in Barangays Fabrica in Hamtic, San Francisco in Anini-y, and Buhang in Pandan have intensified inspections to prevent the entry of infected animals and contaminated pork products.
The province continues to prohibit the entry of live hogs, except those transported by the Department of Agriculture and the Agricultural Training Institute for government programs, provided each animal has tested negative for ASF and has secured the required veterinary clearance.
Certain processed pork products may enter the province only after complying with veterinary health certification requirements.
Macuja said Antique still allows the shipment of live hogs and pork products to Iloilo, but not to Capiz and Aklan, where local governments have imposed a total ban on pork imports from affected areas.
Meanwhile, ProVet Public Health Division Chief Dr. Marco Rafael Ardamil said in a local radio interview that Gov. Javier has committed to deploying additional inspectors to strengthen border control operations as part of the province’s enhanced biosecurity program.
Ardamil said surveillance activities continue to focus on provincial borders, while municipal governments have the authority to establish and enforce their own border control measures within their respective jurisdictions.
He added that hogs leaving Antique are monitored, and transport vehicles returning to the province undergo disinfection to prevent the possible introduction of the ASF virus.
Ardamil also dismissed as “fake news” circulating reports claiming that Antique has confirmed ASF cases.
He said the province has remained free of confirmed ASF cases since it was declared free of the disease about two years ago, warning that false information could be exploited by unscrupulous traders to pressure hog raisers into selling their pigs at lower prices.
He urged the public to rely only on official information and encouraged hog raisers to immediately report unusual illnesses or deaths among their pigs to ProVet or their respective Municipal Agriculture Offices for prompt investigation and appropriate intervention.
Macuja also reminded hog raisers to maintain strict farm biosecurity by limiting access to pig pens, installing proper fencing, and preventing animals such as dogs, cats, birds, and rodents from entering farms to minimize the risk of disease transmission./PN
