MEMBERS of the Negros Occidental Sangguniang Panlalawigan are eyeing penalties against individuals who will bring banned meat products from areas classified as red zones into the province.
Vice Governor Jeffrey Ferrer said a public hearing has been conducted by the Committee on Agriculture chaired by Third District Board Member Andrew Montelibano to amend existing Provincial Ordinance 2019-024 Series of 2019 or ASF Prevention Ordinance.
"We already have that ordinance since 2019 and the SP would like to amend it for the purpose of imposing stiffer penalties against violators," Ferrer said.
Seizures of banned pork meat and other pork products have been implemented to protect the province against African swine fever in all ports and seaports but no penalties are slapped against the shippers or violators.
Meanwhile, some local government units affected by hog cholera and other diseases are preparing the assistance to be given to the affected raisers.
Bago City Mayor Nicholas Yulo said they are eyeing P1,000 to P2,000 in financial assistance for every culled or hog killed due to the disease.
He said that they will determine the actual amount next week and that he will meet with the Sangguniang Panlungsod members on the matter.
Yulo also confirmed that there are some hog raisers who just threw their dead pigs in the rivers or irrigation that's why the virus spread suddenly in the area.
San Enrique Mayor Jilson Tubillara, for his part, said they are eyeing P3,000 to 5,000 assistance for the backyard raisers whose pigs died due to diseases.
San Enrique has the highest hog deaths with 2,253 which is about 83.69 percent of the town's total hog population of 2,692. It has already affected more than 500 hog raisers, mostly backyard raisers.
Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson, meanwhile, said the province is eyeing financial help through the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development for the affected hog farmers.
Livelihood assistance like distribution of free range chickens is also being eyed, he said.*