Fulfilling her earlier commitment, Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte will distribute cash assistance to hog raisers affected by the African swine fever (ASF) virus scare starting today (Wednesday).
According to Belmonte, owners of around 146 pigs culled in Brgy. Bagong Silangan since Sunday’s operations began will be the first recipients of cash assistance from the local government.
The local government will provide P3,000 and P1,500 financial assistance for every culled pig and piglet, respectively.
“Scholarships and livelihood will also be provided to affected families of illegal hog raisers to help them find new ways to earn a living,” said Belmonte.
“Hindi natin sila maaaring pabayaan, lalo na sa panahong kailangan nila ng tulong mula sa lokal na pamahalaan. Naririto kami para tumulong hanggang muli silang makabangon mula sa problemang ito,” she added.
As a preemptive measure, the lady Mayor ordered the immediate culling of pigs from Sitio Veterans (Area 5) and Oriole (Area 2) in Barangay Bagong Silangan after blood samples submitted from these areas were confirmed by the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) as positive for the ASF.
“We went above and beyond DA’s protocol to ensure that the virus won’t spread to nearby areas so I ordered the immediate culling of the pigs,” she said.
The City Veterinary Office, headed by Dr. Anamarie Cabel, said that the 1-7-10 protocol requires the culling of infected animals.
As part of protocol, additional blood samples within the 1-kilometer radius of the “ground zero” have been collected and submitted to the BAI for testing.
Belmonte also called on barangay officials within the 1-kilometer radius to cooperate by identifying informal backyard hog raisers and assist the Quezon City Veterinary Office in getting blood samples to be submitted to BAI for testing.
Dr. Cabel, for her part, called on hog raisers to immediately inform the City Veterinary Office through 988-4242 loc 8036 in case of sick pigs. Symptoms of ASF include high fever, nose bleeding and ear hemorrhage, among others.
She also advised consumers to look for meat inspection certificate from retailers to ensure the meat they are buying is safe.
