Mountain Province – The Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), in partnership with the Department of Agriculture-Regional Field Office-Cordillera Administrative Region (DA-RFO-CAR), spearheaded the ASF Threat to Wild Pigs Information Caravan in Mountain Province (MP) from November 26-28, 2024.
In coordination with the provincial government and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the activity was held on separate occasions in Besao, Sagada and Bauko, and was attended by hog raisers and other stakeholders in the municipalities to strengthen awareness on wildlife preservation and update about the African Swine Fever (ASF) situation in the country and share the latest information to help stakeholders fight the viral disease that affects pigs.
Dr. Monica Atienza of the Talarak Foundation, one of the resource persons, said that wild pigs are important in the environment because they help maintain biodiversity in their native habitats.
“Mahalaga ang papel ng mga baboy ramo sa kalusugan ng kagubatan dahil sila ang tagapanatili ng natural na sistema ng kagubatan. Sila ang tagakalan ng mga binhi at tagagawa ng daanan sa gubat. Gumagawa din sila ng lubluban at kublihan,” Atienza said.
According to her, the ASF is a highly contagious viral disease that affects both domestic and wild pigs. With this, she urged the different stakeholders to help the government in protecting the wild pigs against the disease.
Relatedly, Adam Paleyan of the DENR-Mountain Province office discussed the salient features of Republic Act No. 9147 or the “Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act.” According to him, the act was created to protect wildlife species and their habitats to promote ecological balance and biological diversity.
Meanwhile, as of November 22, 2024, Joshua Evangelista of the BAI-National ASF Prevention and Control Program reported that there are seven regions, 18 provinces, 78 municipalities and 369 barangays that have active cases of ASF in the whole country.
In the Cordillera, Dr. Kimberly Pearl Takinan of the DA-RFO-CAR reported that for 2024, there are 209 reported cases of farm owners affected by the ASF with Abra having the highest cases of 91 affected farm owners while Mountain Province has the least reported cases with only two.
With this, Provincial Government Assistant Department Head Doris C. Cobaldez of the Provincial Veterinary Office urged the different stakeholders to report any suspected ASF case for it to be contained as soon as possible and remain vigilant on the entry of pork and pork products in the province.
She also shared that the reported cases for Mountain Province were found in Besao, though, according to her, the situations were already contained.
Cobaldez further gave updates on the activities and measures that were undertaken by the province to control the disease.
Moreover, Dr. Joel Valeroso of the BAI-National ASF Prevention and Control Program responded to frequently asked questions on ASF and shared biosecurity measures to minimize the risk of the disease.
The participants also received encouragement from the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC) to enroll in the corporation’s swine industry program. Flora Cresta Urban of the PCIC-Mountain Province said that the hog raisers must ensure their livestock to avail of the services offered by the government in case of perils affecting their animals. By Hail, MP
