African swine fever in the Philippines

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has ordered the Department of Agriculture’s Western Visayas office to test pig breeding sites in the region to control the spread of the African Swine Fever.

This was after the DA-Western Visayas regional office reported cases of ASF in the area, particularly in Iloilo.

In a statement from the Office of the Press Secretary, it said that the president said “all measures to prevent its spread [are] already in place, including banning pork products from infested areas.”

African Swine Fever is spreading anew, affecting at least 10 barangays in this city, which the Office of City Veterinarian believes is an offshoot of the recent fiestas in different barangays in Zamboanga City.

The spread of the ASF infections came barely two weeks since the OCVET announced it initially contained the deadly hog disease within five barangays.

The OCVET said affected barangays are: Canucutan in Pasonanca, Lower and Inner Mangusu, Udjong and Waray-waray in Bunguiao, Presa and Zone III in Curuan, Corote and Green Valley in Manicahan, Camino Nuevo in Vitali, Zone II in Dulian in Upper Bunguiao, Purok IV in Lumayang, Sinoropan in Licomo and Merloquet in Sibulao.

Mangusu recorded the most hog mortalities at 211 followed by Canucutan in Pasonanca with 180, Dulian with 141 and Vitali with 103 mortalities.

The government should prioritize preventing the further spread of African Swine Fever to address rising pork prices, Sen. Risa Hontiveros says, adding price caps on meat will not address the problem.

"ASF is the root of the problem, so it is ASF that must be solved. The government should instead channel its efforts to bring credibility to testing, reporting, and responding to local outbreaks, among others. The price controls being imposed are not helping, so let’s look deeper than the surface,"she says, partly in Filipino.

She says the price cap on pork and chicken in Metro Manila has become a heavier burden for producers and sellers and even government efforts to bring in more pork from North Cotabato are not enough.

African Swine Fever (ASF) has reached northern towns of Benguet,  the Office of the Provincial Veterinarian warns.

Veterinarian Miriam Tiongan says they found that the dreaded animal disease has infected swine in Buyacaoan, Buguias, and Caliking, Atok.

She blames the infestation on online trading in Atok, where there was minimal government detection. She adds poor biosecurity caused the spread of the virus in Buguias.

At least three towns in Benguet — La Trinidad, Itogon and Tuba — are still categorized as "Red Zones" where infestation remains, the provincial veterinary office bares.

— The STAR/Artemio Dumlao

The North Cotabato provincial government is guarding against African swine fever after hogs in an upland town tested positive to the disease.

North Cotabato Gov. Nancy Catamco says Tuesday that provincial veterinarian Rufino Sorupia and the local government unit of Magpet are now initiating interventions to prevent the spread of ASF to areas outside of the municipality.

Personnel of the provincial government were immediately dispatched to act on the problem after Arlan Mangelen, regional director of the Department of Agriculture-12, confirmed last weekend the outbreak of ASF in Magpet's adjoining Barangays Magcaalam and Ilian. — The STAR/John Unson

Ifugao Gov. Jerry Dalipog is recommending that the province be placed under a state of emergency as the African Swine Fever has entered the province despite a lockdown.

The Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) confirmed the presence of the virus in at least five towns —  Banaue, Kiangan, Lagawe, Asipulo and Hingyon.

Ifugao Provincial Veterinarian James Gopeng said they have already culled at least 160 heads from the affected towns —  74 in Kingan, 40 in Lagawe, eight in Asipulo and more than 40 in Banaue.

Gopeng said more pigs are expected to be culled in the next few days.   ??— The STAR/Artemio Dumlao

The Department of Agriculture confirms cases of African Swine Fever in Kalinga and Benguet, saying laboratory testing from five areas in the Cordillera have tested positive.

The areas where ASF has been confirmed are Tanudan, Bulanao and Tabuk towns in Kalinga, and in Beckel (La Trinidad) and Camp 1 (Tuba) in Benguet.

The province of Davao Occidental has been locked down after an outbreak of African Swine Fever in Don Marcelino town, Agriculture Secretary William Dar says in press briefing Monday.

"We are also taking blood samples from Malita," he also says, referring to a neighboring town. He says the government does not yet know how the ASF virus reached the remote town, where eight barangays have been cordoned off.

He assures the public, however, that local government units have already put up checkpoints to enforce a quarantine on pigs and on pork products leaving the area.

Dar adds there is enough protection against infected pigs and pork from entering urban centers like Davao City.

"Coming from Davao City, meron nang mga x-ray machines. Task Force Davao is not just for security, but also for biosecurity... Kapag mga buses coming from outside Davao City, these will be screened by x-ray machines, including the physical examination ng mga police. It was a very good arrangement."

"Walang makapasok na mga armas saka mga illegal products, even shabu and the like. And now, pork and pork products."

Mekeni Food Corp. is ready to bring back to the market its pork-based products after the Food and Drug Administration issued an endorsement to redistribute to the Pampanga-based firm.

JUST IN: Pampanga-based Mekeni Food Corp. is ready to bring back to the market its pork-based products after the Food and Drug Administration issues endorsement to redistribute @PhilippineStar pic.twitter.com/hSllyJxSy5

— Maureen Simeon (@maureensimeon) December 6, 2019

Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia has issued an order banning the entry into the province of "meat, chicken, fish, or any other food products that have been commingled with pork, pork-related products and by-products from all parts of Luzon," The Freeman reports.

LATEST: Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia issues EO 23 “Prohibiting the entry of all meat, chicken, fish, or any other food products that have been commingled with pork, pork-related products and by-products from all parts of Luzon” to Cebu Province | via Lorraine Ecarma #TheFreeman100 pic.twitter.com/MLBHrWyiy8

— The Freeman (@TheFreemanNews) November 6, 2019

The order comes as the Department of Agriculture confirms that ASF, which is deadly to pigs but not to humans, has spread to Caloocan and Malabon in the National Capital Region, anf to Bulacan and Pampanga provinces.

The Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Animal Industry confirms that skinless longganisa and hotdog samples from the plant of Mekeni Food Corporation tested positive for African swine fever.

It says two validation tests were conducted as requested by the manufacturer.

JUST IN: The Bureau of Animal Industry confirms that samples of skinless longganisa and hotdog from the plant of Mekeni Food Corporation tested positive for African Swine Fever. BAI said 2 validation tests were conducted as requested by the manufacturer.@News5AKSYON @onenewsph

— Shyla Francisco (@ShylaFrancisco) November 4, 2019

Ate Rica's Bacsilog is made from safe pork, the food kiosk operator says in a social media post amid the spread of African swine fever.

"We assure you that we deliver processed meat products that are certified safe by the Food and Drug Administration from suppliers that use raw meat materials duly approved by the National Meat Inspection Service," it says, while stressing that ASF does not pose a risk to human health.

Reports of contaminated pork products has prompted a voluntary recall by processed meat manufacturer Mekeni Food Corp. and the release of a statement from Purefoods-Hormel Co. that its ingredients "come from farms that are strictly supervised by San Miguel Foods and observe the highest level of bio-security measures while the imported materials come from ASF-free countries."

The Agriculture department estimates industry losses of $20 million a month from ASF infections.

Hog raisers need put public health over profit, Rep. Bernadette Herrera (Bagong Henerasyon Party-list) says amid reports of pork products testing positive for African Swine Fever despite government efforts to contain the disease.

"What we have here is a situation wherein uncaring and unconscientious hog raisers would rather recover their losses without any regard for public health and safety of other people. That is the moral question at the heart of this African swine flu spread," Herrera says in a press release.

She appeals to hog raisers not to try to sell off meat from infected hogs just to avoid buiness loss.

"The disease could spread to other pigs and could compromise the integrity of meat being sold," she says in Filipino.

Mekeni Food Corp. says they will voluntarily recall their pork-based products in the market.

"Even as we wait for the results of these tests, we have decided to initiate a voluntary recall of all our of our pork-based products effective 26 October 2019," the company says.

"This is to ensure that we mitigate the possibility that our products are inadvertently become carriers of ASF," it adds.

JUST IN: Mekeni Food Corp. initiates voluntary recall of all pork-based products @PhilippineStar

See full statement. pic.twitter.com/qP8KRRW95h

— Maureen Simeon (@maureensimeon) October 26, 2019

Mekeni Food Corp. assures the public that they are doing everything to validate the report that their products are among those confiscated which tested positive for African swine fever.

"As of this writing, we cannot further comment on the issue as we have yet to receive the official report and validated statement from BAI," the company says.

"Rest assured that we will inform you of any developments as you deserve to know the truth," it adds.

READ: Official statement from Mekeni Food Corp.

The DA is now looking at the possibility of cross contamination among the confiscated processed meat products which tested positive for ASF prompting the agency to conduct further investigation @PhilippineStar pic.twitter.com/wD7DAxwmNk

— Maureen Simeon (@maureensimeon) October 25, 2019

The Department of Agriculture Crisis Management Task Force says in its latest bulletin that about 12,000 head of swine tested positive of ASF in more than 20 barangays in Rizal, Bulacan, Pampanga and Quezon City.

"This represents one-third of the total depopulated pigs in ground zero," ASF Task Force head Reildrin Morales says.

This means that the remaining two-thirds of the pigs or 24,000 were culled due to the 1-7-10 protocol of the DA.

The 36,000 affected hogs is 0.28 percent of the country’s total hog population. The Philippines has 12.8 million hogs. — The STAR/Louise Maureen Simeon

Agriculture Secretary William Dar has confirmed that the latest victim of African swine fever is Barangay Tatalon in Quezon City, the third area in the city after Barangay Bagong Silangan and Payatas tested positive of the disease two weeks ago.

"Tatalon has been observed to have pigs that have been infected by ASF. It was not transported, it was within their backyard raising," Dar says in a briefing on Tuesday.

"I have yet to receive the full report but yes, Tatalon is positive. Depopulation has already started," he adds. — The STAR/Louise Maureen Simeon

Agriculture Secretary William Dar says the government has already culled 20,000 pigs, higher than the 15,000 reported last week. The Philippines has 12.8 million hogs.

"As of today, we have culled 20,000 heads. One-third of that was due to the ASF virus and the other two-thirds are not affected but was culled because of our 1-7-10 protocol," Dar said in a joint briefing with Manila Mayor Isko Moreno on Monday.

"Most of the 20,000 heads came from Bulacan, from those areas we are cordoning and under quarantine. We also have from nearby Pampanga which is not as many as those in Bulacan," he added. — The STAR/Louise Maureen Simeon

Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte says no results from 48 blood samples from Bagong Silang, Payatas and La Loma submitted to the Bureau of Animal Industry have been returned.

The samples serve to determine whether pigs in the areas have been infected by the African swine fever.

In a report by ABS-CBN, Belmonte says, however, that the bureau gave the city government verbal confirmation that some samples are ASF positive.

Barangay workers can help monitor and contain cases fof African swine fever, outbreaks of which have been confirmed in parts of Bulacan and Rizal, Sen. Nancy Binay says.

Binay says barangay workers know their communities and "can encourage backyard raisers to notify them or representatives of the [local government unit] or [Department of Agriculture] to report if there's something wrong with their pigs."

Over the weekend, dozens of dead pigs were found floating in the Marikina River and in a creek in Quezon City, with Agriculture Secretary William Dar saying the dumping was irresponsible and illegal.

"I am calling on our barangay workers to approach the hog raisers in your areas, especially the backyard raisers, partocularly when our local agricultural offices are undermanned," she also says.

The Office of the City Veterinarian in Zamboanga City has set up checkpoints alongside those of the police and military to guard against the possible entry into the city of pigs infected with African swine fever.

Dr. Arnedo Abgayani, assistant city veterinarian, says they will bar the entry of pigs and pork products without the necessary veterinary health certificate and shipping permit.

The city veterinarian's office is keeping an eye on pork and pork products from China "because it is one source of the ASF."

Arnado said local raisers must also submit to inspection and will need to secure the required documentation when transporting pigs and pork.

"As of the moment, there has been no reports and monitoring of entry of ASF infected pigs and its by-products," Arnado says. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

The Bureau of Animal Industry has confirmed that the number of cases of African swine fever in the Philippines has reached outbreak level, News 5 reports.

Outbreaks, according to the World Health Organization,  "the occurrence of disease cases in excess of normal expectancy."

The announcement comes within days of pigs being found floating along the Marikina River and in a creek in Quezon City amid cases of ASF.

JUST IN | The African Swine Fever in the Philippines is now considered an outbreak, says the Bureau of Animal Industry. (via @News5AKSYON / @ShylaFrancisco) pic.twitter.com/Fjpx4lX4cK

— ONE News PH (@onenewsph) September 16, 2019

"It was utterly irresponsible on the part of backyard raisers as they did not only violate current laws, but their misdoing also spread the disease pathogens much faster," Agriculture Secretary William Dar said of the dumping of pig carcasses.

"They violated the Animal Welfare Act, as they deprived their dead pigs of adequate care, maltreating them in the process."

READ: African swine fever is now in the Philippines. Should you be alarmed?

ASF is a highly contagious viral disease of domestic and wild pigs that has no cure and no vaccine. Mortality rates are as high as 100%.

According to the World Organization for Animal Health, ASF can be transmitted through direct contact with infected pigs, ingestion of contaminated materials such as food waste, feed or garbage, or contaminated fomites or biological vectors.

Historically, there have been reported outbreaks in Africa and parts of Europe, South Africa and the Carribean. More recently, the disease has been reported in countries across Africa, Asia and Europe.