African Swine Fever red zone extended to another Iloilo town


ILOILO CITY – The provincial government of Iloilo has placed the town of San Miguel under the red zone (infected) classification after African Swine Fever (ASF) was detected among hogs in the municipality.

TRANSPORTED pigs are disinfected by a firefighter at the border of Alimodian town, Iloilo after African Swine Fever (ASF) cases were detected in two towns of the province. (BFP-Alimodian Fire Station)

Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. issued Executive Order No. 460-A placing San Miguel under red zone status following the neighboring town of Oton where Iloilo recorded the first outbreak of ASF.

Under the red zone status, transportation and trading of live hogs, pork, or pork-based products in and out of San Miguel are prohibited.

According to Defensor, red zone status means these are infected zones and there is a need to curtail the spread of ASF.

The towns bordering San Miguel and Oton are classified as pink or buffer zones where there are existing checkpoints at the borders for strict monitoring of the entry and exit of live hogs, pork, and pork-based products.

Personnel from the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) are aiding in the border checkpoints.

The red zone classification also complements the measures instituted by the local government unit of San Miguel which declared a state of calamity due to ASF.