PIGS CANNOT CROSS
We confiscated all of them because of the threat of the African swine fever
KALIBO, Aklan — The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) in Western Visayas has issued a memorandum urging all local government and cities in the region to temporarily ban crossing of live pigs to protect against the threat from African swine fever (ASF).
DILG Regional Director Engr. Ariel Iglesia said that it stemmed from an earlier resolution of the Regional Agricultural and Fishery Council recommending all LGU to pass provincial and city ordinances for the temporary ban.
ASF is a severe viral disease affecting domestic and wild pigs that cannot be treated and has no approved vaccine. This transboundary animal disease has been responsible for serious production and economic losses in affected countries abroad. It can be spread by live or dead pigs, domestic or wild, and pork products.
Reports from the Philippine Statistics Authority said that there are at least 1.23 millions of swine in the region which may be threatened by the infection.
Veterinary Quarantine Officer Dr. Christine Lyn Melgarejo of the Kalibo International Airport (KIA) said they have recently monitored some overseas Filipino workers (OFW) mostly coming from China in bringing processed and canned meat products in their baggage.
“We confiscated all of them because of the threat of the ASF,” she said adding that the processed and canned meat products were being brought as ‘pasalubong.’ There had already been a ban implemented on bringing processed meat products in the Visayas region to prevent any threat from ASF.
From January to July this year, Melgarejo’s team has confiscated around 538.56 kilos of both processed and canned meat products from arriving passengers via KIA. Aside from OFW’s, foreign tourists also are bringing in the pork products to be consumed on their vacation to nearby Boracay Island.
Countries which already have cases of ASF include Belgium, Latvia, Mongolia, Laos, Zambia, Hong Kong, North Korea, Hungary, Moldova, South Africa, Poland, Cambodia, Vietnam, Bulgaria, Romania, Czech Republic, Russia, Ukraine and Germany.