The African Swine Fever (ASF) crisis in Bohol province continues to worsen with new cases reported across multiple municipalities, while critics point to insufficient coordinated action from the provincial government to contain the rapidly spreading virus.
The Technical Working Group (TWG) on ASF recommended a month-long lockdown for Barangay Bool in Tagbilaran City on March 5, following confirmation that at least nine pigs tested positive for the disease.
The recommendation comes as the virus continues its aggressive spread throughout the province, threatening the livelihood of thousands of hog raisers.
City Mayor Jane Yap confirmed in an interview with DYTR News that eight pigs have already been depopulated after rapid test results showed ASF infection in blood samples taken from hogs in Barangay Bool.
The depopulation was conducted jointly by the City Agriculture and Veterinary Office (CAVO) and the Office of the Provincial Veterinarian.
The proposed lockdown would prohibit the transport of pork and pork products from Barangay Bool but would still allow entry of such products from unaffected barangays.
Implementation requires the Barangay Council to pass a formal resolution, with Punong Barangay Jose Floro Ringca scheduled to call a special assembly and information education campaign for residents at the Booy Covered Court in Tagbilaran.
The crisis has expanded beyond the provincial capital to multiple municipalities.
Getafe town is the latest locality to report ASF infections, with Mayor Cary Camacho confirming through a Facebook post that 14 pigs tested positive using rapid tests.
The infected hogs were from Barangay Boyog, approximately seven kilometers from the Getafe poblacion area.
In response, checkpoints have been established to prevent the transport of live hogs from Barangay Boyog, where most pig raising occurs in backyard operations rather than commercial facilities.
Mayor Camacho has activated the Municipal Agriculture Office (MAO) with assistance from the Capitol to help contain the disease and urged public cooperation to prevent a larger outbreak.
The ASF threat has prompted neighboring municipalities to take protective measures.
Buenavista Mayor Dave Duallo issued a directive prohibiting the entry of pork and pork products from Getafe and announced plans to issue an executive order after meeting with members of the ASF task force and barangay captains as a precautionary measure.
Meanwhile, Barangay San Isidro in Pilar town has issued a resolution prohibiting the sale of pork and pork products, swill feeding, and even the butchering of swine for personal consumption following a confirmed ASF case in the area.
The prohibition will remain in effect until the barangay is declared ASF-free, with the council maintaining close coordination with the Municipal Agriculturist Office for implementation.
According to data from the Office of the Provincial Veterinarian (OPV), ASF first appeared in Barangay San Vicente, San Miguel town in November 2024, and has since spread to 12 towns and Tagbilaran City at an alarming rate, affecting 43 barangays across the province.
The OPV has identified several factors contributing to the rapid spread, including increased butchering of swine during the holiday season, inadequate biosecurity measures in some swine operations, possible human transmission of the virus, the practice of using shared boars for breeding, and delayed reporting of ASF symptoms.
While the infection has been controlled in some affected areas, monitoring continues in several locations where the disease is still active.
ASF causes severe illness in swine and can be fatal, with no approved stable vaccine currently available to hog raisers.
The escalating crisis represents a worrying setback for Bohol, which had remained ASF-free since the disease first appeared in the country in 2019, largely due to strict biosecurity protocols that prohibited the entry of pork and pork products from infected areas.
Critics have pointed to the provincial government’s reactive rather than proactive approach, with financial aid being distributed to affected farmers but limited coordinated preventive action to stop the disease from spreading to new areas.
Governor Erico Aristotle Aumentado distributed financial assistance totaling P1,050,000 to hog raisers in affected areas on March 1 through the Office of the Provincial Social Welfare and Development (OPSWD).
The aid, categorized as Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS), provided P10,000 to each beneficiary from various affected barangays: 14 from La Suerte in Pilar, 7 from Buenas Aires in Carmen, 4 from Nueva Vida in Carmen, 22 from Poblacion Sur in Batuan, and 58 from Poblacion Norte in Batuan.
OPSWD Chief Carmelita Tecson said that the move aims to provide support to individuals experiencing crisis due to calamities and other events that have damaged their livelihoods.
Governor Aumentado thanked the affected hog raisers for their cooperation with the provincial government’s efforts to control the disease and appealed to the beneficiaries to take the warnings seriously to protect Bohol’s P7-billion hog industry.
The governor announced plans to deploy the Provincial Cooperative Development Office (PCDO) to help organize affected hog raisers and support them in finding alternative sources of income while the provincial government continues to combat ASF.
However, these measures have been criticized as insufficient given the scale and speed of the disease’s spread.
Agricultural economists warn that the continuing spread of ASF poses an overdue threat to Bohol’s swine industry, which is a crucial component of the local economy, particularly for small-scale and backyard farmers who rely on pig raising for supplementary income.
Public health experts note that while ASF poses no threat to human health, its economic impact on rural communities can be devastating, particularly for households that depend on pig raising as a primary or secondary source of income.
Local veterinary experts have said that controlling ASF requires a multi-faceted approach including strict quarantine measures, proper disposal of infected animals, thorough disinfection of affected premises, and comprehensive monitoring of animal movement.
Reports said that these measures demand resources and coordination between provincial and municipal governments, which some observers suggest has been lacking in the current response.
Agricultural stakeholders are calling for a comprehensive province-wide strategy that addresses not only the immediate containment of outbreaks but also long-term biosecurity measures to prevent future incursions of the disease.
With ASF continuing to spread despite existing control efforts, the coming weeks will be critical in determining whether Bohol can bring the outbreak under control or whether it will face a more prolonged crisis that could permanently damage its swine industry.