39 dead pigs dumped in QC, Marikina

MANILA, Philippines — Thirty-nine dead pigs were found floating in bodies of water in two Metro Manila cities yesterday.

Thirty-six of them were found in Marikina River in Marikina City, while three were floating in a creek in Quezon City.

Marikina Mayor Marcelino Teodoro said the pigs were fished out by local residents from the river from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Teodoro has asked the Department of Agriculture (DA) to probe the pig deaths to determine whether they were infected by African swine fever (ASF).

“There is no slaughterhouse or piggery in Marikina. The dead pigs could have been from upstream of Rizal (province),” the mayor said.

The city’s veterinary office reported that 10 dead pigs were fished out of the Marikina River in Barangay Nangka, two in Barangay Tumana and 24 in Barangay Calumpang.

All of the recovered dead pigs were buried apparently to prevent the spread of ASF, according to Marikina City public information officer Arlene Rivera.

Thousands of pigs in Barangay Cupang, Antipolo City were confiscated by the city government in the past weeks and buried alive, triggering an angry reaction from animal lovers.

The DA claimed that several of the confiscated pigs were infected with ASF.

A creek in Cupang is directly connected to the Marikina River.

Daily monitoring

The local government of Quezon City is now conducting daily monitoring of piggeries within the city, following the discovery of three dead hogs along a creek near Lingayen Street in Barangay Bagong Silangan at around 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday.

Quezon City Veterinary head Ana Marie Cabel said aside from monitoring, they are also conducting a survey of all piggeries in the city.

Cabel said they immediately coordinated with the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) to collect tissue samples from the hogs for testing for ASF.

“There is no need for alarm yet,” Cabel assured the residents, adding that the city is still considered free of ASF that was already reported in parts of Bulacan and Rizal.

It is possible that the hogs were carried by the river from another city and only discovered in the shallow part of the creek, according to Cabel.

At least nine barangays in the city have backyard piggeries, with Barangays Bagong Silangan and Payatas having over 1,000 piggeries each.

Last month, Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte ordered the closure of backyard piggeries, saying it was illegal to have such in the city based on the zoning ordinance.

Belmonte said it is possible that the city authorities would also have to establish checkpoints to limit animal movement for preventive measures.

Cabel allayed fears and said pork is still safe to eat. She advised buyers to always look for the meat inspection certificate to ensure that the pork is fit for human consumption.

The DA recently announced that blood samples from 14 out of 20 samples taken from sick pigs tested positive for the ASF.

Meanwhile, the provincial government of Misamis Oriental yesterday disallowed the entry of pigs and various pork products from areas deemed by the BAI as having ASF infestation.

Gov. Yevgeny Vincente Emano has issued Executive Order 2019-13 to create a task force that would oversee the implementation of the ban. – With Gerry Lee Gorit, Gilbert Bayoran