BAGUIO CITY – Some four hundred forty six farmers in the different parts of the Cordillera were able to benefit from the five hundred seventy six sentinel animals that were distributed as part of the ongoing repopulation program of the agriculture department to the African Swine Fever-affected barangays in the region.
DA-CAR regional executive director Dr. Cameron Odsey stated that there are some 60 barangays in the region which are covered by the ongoing repopulation of the hog industry in the region while there are 21 barangays which have been already released from the prevailing implementation of the strict quarantine.
Further, he disclosed that the government was able to distribute more than P30.3 million as indemnification to some 1,154 ASF-affected farmers in the region since the start of the ASF infestation in the region over 3 years ago.
In terms of insured animals through the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC), there were some 11,196 animals owned by some 3,311 farmers that were already insured to guarantee appropriate indemnification during similar incidents in the future.
On the other hand, the agriculture department will be procuring some 900 bags of feeds which will be distrusted to farmers under the swine repopulation and feed assistance program. The beneficiaries of the procured feeds will come from Abra, Benguet and Ifugao with 300 recipients from each of the said provinces.
Of the 1,176 barangays in the Cordillera, around 7 percent or 123 barangays are affected with the ASF infestation. 8 municipalities and 15 barangays or 5 percent of the barangays had been infected with ASF in March 2021; 6 municipalities and 33 barangays or 24 percent of the barangays had been affected with ASF in march 2021; 9 municipalities and 19 barangays or 13.6 percent of the barangays had been affected by ASF since October 2019; 8 municipalities and 24 barangays or 13.6 percent of barangays in Ifugao had also been infected by ASF since February 2020; 7 towns and 25 barangays or 16.3 percent of barangays in Kalinga had reported ASF infestation since October 2019 and 6 municipalities and 8 barangays or 5 percent of the barangays in Mountain Province had reported ASF cases since March 2020.
On the local governments that issued administrative orders or passed ordinances in support to Babay ASF, Odsey claimed that there are 3 provinces that have done the same, namely, Mountain Province, Kalinga and Benguet.
Moreover, there were some 26 municipalities that have also done similar actions where 9 were from Mountain province, namely,
Bauko, Besao, Bontoc, Tadian, Barlig, Natonin, Paracelis, Sabangan and Sagada; 5 were from Abra, Bangued, Lacub, Langiden, Licuan-Baay and Pilar; 4 were from Benguet, Kabayan, Mankayan, Kapangan and Sablan; 4 are also from Kalinga, Lubuagan, Balbalan, Pasil and Pinukpk; 3 come from Apayao, Calanasan, Pudtol and Sta. marcela and 1 from Ifugao which is Asipulo.
At present, only 2 barangays in the region, namely, Kabayan, Benguet and Banaue, Ifugao have remaining ASF infestation although the same has even placed under control by the agriculture department in close coordination with the concerned local governments.