DA fears African swine fever now spreading; 55 dead hogs retrieved from Marikina River

The Department of Agriculture (DA) fears the African swine fever (ASF) has now spread outside Rizal province which was initially affected by the serious viral disease after some hog raisers in Rizal reportedly hid their sick pigs from authorities.

In a briefing, Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar said yesterday the dead pigs found in Marikina River and in a creek in Quezon City last Thursday may have come from the ASF-affected areas in Rizal.

“The problem is at the ground zero, many hog raisers hid their sick pigs, and the initial affected areas are the ones spreading the virus. That is now the problem. They started dumping the dead pigs, and it’s really

hard,” Dar told peorters.

For this reason, Dar appealed anew to hogs raisers to immediately report to various government agencies, including the National Meat Inspection Service and City Veterinary, all suspected ASF-affected pigs. “Please cooperate.”

Not from Marikina

From 36 dead pigs retrieved from Marikina River Thursday, the City Veterinary office of Marikina said the number increased to 55 as of 3:30 p.m friday.

Dr. Manuel Carlos, city veterinarian, told Manila Bulletin yesterday, “I am for sure that the pigs were not from Marikina for we don’t have piggeries here.”

The city council passed an ordinance in 2003 prohibiting the raising of hogs in Marikina.

Carlos said he has already coordinated with the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) to test the blood samples of the dead pigs.

Initial figures from the City Veterinary Office on Thursday showed that 10 dead pigs were recovered from the Barangay Nangka portion of the Marikina River, two in Barangay Tumana, and 24 in Barangay Kalumpang.

Marikina River flows from the Sierra Madre mountains in the province of Rizal.

Some of the pig carcasses were found floating near the statue of “Marikit” while others were retrieved among the floating garbage on the river in Barangay Nangka.

On Wednesday, six dead pigs were likewise found dumped in a rocky portion beside a creek in Barangay Silangan, Quezon City

Marikina Mayor Marcelino “Marcy” Teodoro said a dead pig was retrieved before noon yesterday in Barangay Nangka. The animal was not yet bloated.

Teodoro said he wants the people responsible for the improper disposal of pig carcasses to be held accountable.

The mayor also ordered the reactivation of quarantine checkpoints in the city to prevent the entry and spread of pig diseases.

Fishing and any water-related activities in the Marikina River is prohibited. It is now being checked for possible contamination.

A search party has also been deployed to trace where the dead animals came from.

SAFE FOR THE MEANTIME — Hogs are unloaded from a delivery truck in Agdao Market in Davao City. Davao has so far remained swine fever free, but agriculture officials are worried that the African swine fever virus may have already spread outside the provinces of Rizal and Bulacan. (Keith Bacongco)

(Ali Vicoy) RICE PRICE INSPECTION — Agriculture Secretary William Dar checks the rice being sold at the San Andres Market in Manila during a price monitoring inspection Friday. The Agriculture Department says it will release stocks of National Food Authority (NFA) rice at ₱27 a kilo, cheaper than imported rice.