Bohol, once one of the last three remaining provinces in the country free from African Swine Fever (ASF), has lost its status, according to confidential sources from the Provincial Government and the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) Team.
The BAI Team’s findings reveal that the provincial and local government units (LGUs) could have been more stringent in implementing anti-ASF protocols, particularly in the area of strict backyard farm monitoring and the prevention of swill feeding.
The team also found that there is no way to halt the spread of ASF as farmers in the identified affected barangays in Dauis refuse to condemn their hogs.
Swill feeding is widely practiced in Bohol, which is likely to cause the disease to spread, potentially wiping out a significant share of Bohol’s P8-Billion hog industry and affecting thousands of farmers’ livelihoods.
The report further highlights that many farms in mainland Bohol are unmonitored, raising concerns about the unchecked spread of the disease.
The upcoming fiesta season is expected to exacerbate the spreading rate of ASF across the entire island of Bohol, reports said.
The measures currently in place to prevent the spread of ASF are deemed too minimal to have a positive effect, according to the BAI Team.
The situation calls for immediate and robust action to protect the province’s swine industry and the livelihoods of its farmers.
CULPRIT
The Office of the Provincial Veterinarian (OPV) has acknowledged the possibility that some pork, potentially infected with the African Swine Fever (ASF), may have already left Dauis.
This disclosure was made by Stella Maris Lapiz, the chief of OPV, during the April 26, 2024 episode of Capitol Reports.
According to their contact tracing efforts, there is a significant likelihood that hogs infected with ASF have already spread to areas beyond Dauis.
“For everyone’s information, our contact tracing indicates that some hogs have indeed left Dauis,” she stated.
Lapiz expressed concern about the pigs that left Dauis in April, as they could potentially exacerbate the problem.
She added that some of the pigs that departed Dauis tested negative for ASF, particularly those sold prior to April.
She lamented the lack of early reporting, which has aggravated the current situation.
OPV is struggling to identify the index case, or the pig that initiated the infection.
Lapiz emphasized that early reporting could have helped confine the problem to a smaller area, thereby minimizing the effort required to control the situation.
“If initial reports were available, containment would have been easier. If only one case was reported, we could have concentrated our efforts on a single area, eliminating the need to investigate other places,” she explained.
Lapiz stressed the need to enhance disease surveillance in collaboration with various town governments in Bohol.
She confessed that even the local government unit of Dauis was unaware of the pig deaths or illnesses.
She was informed about the condition of some pigs in Dauis through a phone call she received on April 17, 2024.
In the case of Dauis, Lapiz suggested that the situation was kept hidden, as even barangay officials were oblivious to the fact that some pigs had fallen ill or died.
“In Dauis, neither the Municipal Agriculture Office nor the barangay officials, who meet monthly, were aware of any pig deaths,” she said.
Lapiz reassured hog growers that they should not fear reporting diseases like ASF, as the government has an indemnity fund to compensate them if their hogs become infected or are culled.
She mentioned that both backward and forward tracing activities are being conducted to determine when the disease started and how widespread it has become.
However, due to the delay in reporting, tracing efforts are currently challenging.
CHECKPOINT AND FOOT BATH
Dr. Anthony Damalerio, the chief of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO), has dismissed the Bureau of Fire Protection’s (BFP) proposal to install foot baths at checkpoints as a measure against the spread of African Swine Fever (ASF).
The suggestion, originally put forward by BFP provincial fire marshall Raul Bustaliño, was intended to prevent the virus from reaching mainland Bohol.
The foot baths would serve to disinfect and kill viruses, potentially curbing the ASF problem that has already impacted 82 pigs across three barangays in Dauis town.
However, during the Capitol Reports on April 26, 2024, Dr. Damalerio argued that the additional step would only prolong the inspection process, causing further delays for travelers.
He expressed concerns that such delays, particularly amidst high heat index, could pose risks to vulnerable groups such as children and the elderly due to prolonged exposure to intense heat.
While acknowledging the BFP’s suggestion, Dr. Damalerio ultimately concluded that the potential drawbacks outweighed the benefits.
FINANCIAL RELIEF
In response to the African Swine Fever (ASF) crisis, families in Dauis who have been adversely affected are set to receive a minimum cash assistance of P20,000, as reported on April 26, 2024.
This financial aid is intended for those families who have had their swine culled as a measure to halt the spread of ASF within Dauis.
The Capitol has committed to providing such monetary support to those families whose means of livelihood have been disrupted due to the ASF outbreak.
In a video message, Governor Aumentado announced that the Office of the Provincial Social Welfare and Development (OPSWD) will be disbursing P10,000 in financial aid to ASF-affected families. Additionally, the Department of Agriculture (DA) will be contributing P5,000 in aid.
Aumentado further clarified that this aid is in addition to the financial assistance of P5,000 for each culled hog and P1,000 for each culled piglet.
In the meantime, authorities are actively engaged in culling operations as a strategy to contain the virus and prevent its spread to mainland Bohol.
TAGBILARAN ASF-FREE?
Cathylyn Torremocha, the City Administrator of Tagbilaran, has affirmed that the city remains unaffected by the African Swine Fever (ASF) due to rigorous monitoring of the local hog population.
This statement was made during the early afternoon edition of Open Forum on April 26, 2024, hosted by Ardy Araneta-Batoy and Gloria Leodivica Araneta.
Torremocha explained that regular testing of blood samples from the city’s hogs has been instrumental in maintaining this ASF-free status.
The latest round of testing revealed no presence of the ASF virus in the samples collected from hogs in Tagbilaran City.
She attributed this success to the proactive contingency plans that were implemented to prevent ASF from impacting the local hog population.
“As soon as the ASF issue surfaced, we had already put contingency plans in place,” she stated.
These plans are designed not only to prevent ASF but also to guide authorities in containing and responding to the problem if ASF were to strike.
The city is prepared to identify and respond to any affected barangays swiftly.
Torremocha highlighted the city’s consistent surveillance and monitoring of hog raisers and the health of the swine. Currently, the city is monitoring approximately 2,000 hogs across Tagbilaran City, with data gathered through constant surveillance by authorities.
She warned that if Tagbilaran City were to be hit by ASF, it would pose a significant challenge.
As a result, stricter proactive measures are being enforced, especially considering the city’s proximity to Dauis, where ASF has been detected in three barangays.
In related news, Provincial Veterinarian Stella Marie Lapiz confirmed the culling of some hogs as part of the efforts to control the disease’s spread.
She explained that this strategy operates on the principle of eliminating the host to eradicate the disease.
PUROK POWER MOVEMENT
In a bid to combat the African Swine Fever (ASF) that has plagued Bohol, First District Congressman Edgar M. Chatto has proposed the activation of the purok system.
Chatto made this recommendation during his guest appearance on the April 26, 2024 episode of “Newsmakers ug Uban Pa,” hosted by Ardy Araneta-Batoy.
As a former governor of Bohol, Chatto emphasized the significant role of the purok system.
The barangay, being the smallest unit of government, is subdivided into puroks.
Puroks could play a crucial role in ASF monitoring and surveillance, Chatto said.
In a separate forum, Provincial Veterinarian Stella Maris Lapiz expressed the need to enhance their monitoring and disease reporting mechanisms to curb the spread of ASF.
Chatto believes that effective monitoring should commence at the neighborhood level, facilitated by the purok system.
He further explained that the purok system could simplify the process of tracing sick hogs, thereby improving swine health monitoring.
He stressed the importance of managing ASF at the purok level, which falls under the jurisdiction of the barangays.
This approach, he believes, could be instrumental in controlling the ASF outbreak.