THE municipal government of San Enrique is waiting for the Negros Occidental provincial government to declare a hog cholera outbreak in their town, Mayor Jelson Tubillara said Tuesday, May 23, 2023.
Tubillara confirmed that his town is already topping the province with the most number of hog deaths due to cholera with 1,800.
"We have no choice but to call it an outbreak. We are waiting for an announcement from the Capitol," the mayor said.
He admitted that the municipal government has not allocated any budget to address the situation.
"We will find ways if needed. The provincial government has a budget on biosecurity. We will for any move from the province and implement it in our town," Tubillara said.
He said that the Sanggunian Bayan has declared a state of calamity due to the spate of hog deaths in their municipality.
"They declared a state of calamity even though there is no recommendation from the Municipal Development Council. They did not follow the process which is our problem right now," he said.
Tubillara said that he will refer the matter to the Provincial Legal Office if the declaration is legal.
Meanwhile, Vice Mayor Carlo Raymund Magno confirmed that the SB members passed a resolution declaring a state of calamity due to the spate of hog deaths in the municipality.
"It was a mere sentiment of the SB to show to the people that sympathize with those who are affected by the widespread hog deaths occurring in the town," Magno said.
The vice mayor admitted that they have not received a recommendation from the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (MDRMMC) for a state of calamity.
"The resolution was just a mere sentiment of the members of the SB," he said.
If the calamity funds need to be used, Magno said "it will depend upon the executive. We will just support."
"As a small town, many of those are just backyard hog raisers who consider raising pigs as banks to be used when needed," he said.