The are 10 out of 31 local government units in Negros Occidental that remain African Swine Fever (ASF) free, and the number of daily pig deaths from various diseases in the province are now at a single digit, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said on Wednesday, August 2.
He said the drop of daily pig deaths to four on Tuesday and seven in Cauayan town on Wednesday was a welcome development.
The marching orders of Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson and Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Benitez was to bring the pig deaths down to 10 and below, or to pre-ASF levels, he said.
Diaz congratulated the Provincial Veterinary Office for hitting that target.
He said the 10 LGUs that remain ASF-free in Negros Occidental are Salvador Benedicto, Calatrava, Toboso, Escalante City, Sagay City, La Castellana, Moises Padilla, Sipalay City, Candoni and Hinoba-an.
Meanwhile, the provincial government has earmarked P10 million to provide P2,000 in assistance to each hog raiser whose pigs died, Diaz said.
He assured that the funds will be released before the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections’ ban at the end of the month.
Diaz said with the declaration of the COVID-19 health emergency over, the Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson plans to seek the realignment of P25 million intended for it, for aid to more affected hog raisers and for other programs of the provincial government.
The provincial government’s aid will be on top of the assistance given by local governments to their affected pig raisers, he said.
The amount to be given by the provincial government is not enough compared to the damage suffered by the hog raisers but it’s a way of saying the provincial government cares for them, he said.
There have been 17,766 pig deaths with total losses P199,004,475 in Negros Occidental, the Provincial Animal Biosecurity Management Team reported on Wednesday.
This has affected 4,259 hog raisers in 153 barangays of the province, it added.*