Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson has granted the request of the Bacolod City government to use the RT- PCR machine of the provincial government for the processing of its African Swine Fever (ASF) test kits, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said on Sunday, July 30.
Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez in a letter to Lacson on Friday, July 28, said with the present threat of ASF in Bacolod City and Negros Occidental, the city government has acquired a number of ASF test kits to ensure the safety and protection of local hog raisers.
He requested Lacson to allow the Bacolod City government to use the Qiagen Rotor Gene RT- PCR Machine of the provincial government.
Meanwhile, the daily pig deaths in Negros Occidental from various diseases were down to 22 on Saturday and 18 on Sunday, Diaz said.
This shows that the situation is almost normal, he said.
Negros Occidental’s total pig deaths from ASF, hog cholera and other diseases this year were at 17,744 with total losses of P198,746,150, the Provincial Animal Biosecurity Incident Management Team reported on Sunday.
This has affected 4,244 pig raisers in 153 barangays in 20 local government units in Negros Occidental, it said.*