BACOLOD CITY – Negros Oriental Gov. Manuel “Chaco” Sagarbarria has assured hog raisers that the provincial government is prepared to contain the spread of African Swine Fever (ASF) amid five confirmed cases in La Libertad town.

Sagarbarria led the Provincial ASF Task Force Coordination Meeting on Wednesday, July 1, with officials from the Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO), national government agencies, law enforcement, municipal agriculturists and veterinarians, local government units (LGUs), and swine industry representatives to strengthen the province’s response against the disease.

The governor said the province has already dealt with ASF in the past and has established protocols and a stronger containment system.

“This is something that has happened before. This is not something new to us because we already know the protocols and procedures so that it would not affect Negros Oriental,” Sagarbarria said.

He stressed that the province must learn from previous outbreaks and further improve quarantine and containment measures to prevent widespread damage to the hog industry.

“Our ultimate goal is to contain this problem because we don’t want the same thing to happen again. We have to work together as one,” he added.

Sagarbarria said initial information indicated that the ASF infection in La Libertad may have originated from leftover food brought home by residents who attended a fiesta in Negros Occidental and later fed the scraps to their pigs.

He reiterated his appeal to backyard hog raisers to avoid feeding pigs food waste and instead use properly cooked feed prepared at home.

“If pigs become infected with ASF, all the effort and resources invested in raising them will be lost,” he said.

The governor said monitoring teams and border checkpoints have been activated while authorities continue surveillance in affected and high-risk areas.

He appealed to neighboring Cebu to continue accepting hog deliveries from Negros Oriental, provided proper testing is conducted before shipment, to help sustain the livelihood of backyard hog raisers.

Provincial Veterinarian Melody Dulce Amor Vilan said the PVO has begun intensified surveillance in La Libertad, particularly within the 500-meter radius of reported swine deaths, where officials are profiling the number of pigs with the assistance of Municipal Health Offices.

Vilan said 65 pigs have undergone blood sampling in the affected area, with specimens examined through accredited laboratories.

She added that blood collection in Amlan is expected to begin next week, while surveillance has also been scheduled in San Jose and Sibulan following reports of swine deaths.

From January to June, the PVO collected 751 blood samples across the province – 746 tested negative while five samples from La Libertad were confirmed positive for ASF.

Samples are processed at the PVO laboratory and the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) laboratory for confirmatory testing.

To strengthen prevention efforts, the province has deployed surveillance teams, provided personal protective equipment to responders, and maintained border control checkpoints in Basay, Mabinay, Canlaon City, Vallehermoso, and Sibulan.

Sagarbarria said preventing further transmission remains the province’s top priority while ensuring that hog raisers and the public do not panic.

The intensified measures came as neighboring Negros Occidental recently confirmed an ASF case in San Enrique town, while this highly-urbanized city also reported infections in two barangays.

Several LGUs in Negros Occidental have since issued executive orders temporarily banning the entry of pork and pork products from ASF-affected areas to prevent the disease from spreading.