Rizal 2nd District Rep. Juan Fidel Nograles appealed to hog farmers in Rodriguez (Montalban), Rizal to cooperate with the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) of the Department of Agriculture (DA), the local government, and other concerned agencies to contain and prevent the possible spread of a swine disease in the area.
Appearing in a television news program, Nograles urged swine farm owners to comply with DA protocols in three barangays in Rodriguez – Macabud, San Isidro, and San Jose – that have been quarantined because of reports of the rising number of hog deaths in the three localities.
“The priority now is to prevent the spread of whatever is causing these deaths to other parts of Montalban.”
“The priority now is to prevent the spread of whatever is causing these deaths to other parts of Montalban,” the legislator said.
Backyard swine farmers said their livestock showed loss of appetite, recumbency, vomiting, skin hemorrhage, dark discoloration in the extremities, and sudden death.
The DA-BAI said several diseases, including African Swine Fever or ASF, could be associated with the clinical signs. Results of tests conducted on affected animals will be available by two weeks at the earliest.
“While the DA has yet to confirm the cause of these deaths, it is in the best interests of all hog farmers to strictly comply with DA-BAI directives regarding the matter,” the lawmaker said.
The agency has implemented its “one-seven-ten” policy as part of efforts to quarantine and depopulate the affected areas.
The “one-seven-ten” protocol requires all hogs within a one-kilometer radius be culled, while those within a seven to 10-kilometer radius will be strictly monitored.
“Calabarzon has the second-largest volume of hog production.”
“Among all regions in the country, Calabarzon has the second-largest volume of hog production. If we allow this affliction to spread to other towns, other provinces in the region, this will deal a heavy blow to the swine industry,” he said.
“Our neighbors are now depending on us in the district to do our best to limit the damage caused by this disease,” Nograles added.
In 2018, the total volume of hog production in the country was 2,319,764 metric tons, while the total volume of hog production in Calabarzon was 381,590 metric tons.
Calabarzon region consists of Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon provinces.
The total volume of hog production in the province of Rizal alone was 89,576 metric tons.
The livestock industry has recently experienced positive growth.
In 2018, the gross value of hog production at current prices was P268 billion, 10.8 percent higher than the gross value of hog production of P241.9 billion in 2017.