(LECHON FEAST. Guagua Mayor Dante Torres and 2nd District Rep. Juan Miguel “Mikey” Arroyo join townfolks in a boodle fight of roasted pork and other pork meat viands on Friday at the Artist Haven Park in Guagua. Photo courtesy of Jun Jaso/Pampanga PIO)
GUAGUA, Pampanga- Mayor Dante Torres officially declared on Friday that the municipality is free from African Swine Fever (ASF) after all pigs were tested negative from the said disease.
“We are temporarily declaring the municipality of Guagua as ASF free. We can assure the public that all pork and pork-related products produced, slaughtered, and sold in our public market are safe,” Torres announced.
In fact, Mayor Torres together with Second District Representative Juan Miguel “Mikey” Arroyo and town folks here feasted on roasted pork and other pork meat viands to alleviate ASF scare.
This came after Mayor Torres ordered the probe, citing reports reaching his office on the suspected swine death in one of the barangays of this town.
Torres said he called out the Provincial Veterinarian Office to report the incident and immediately test if the reported case is positive of ASF.
Results came and showed that all pigs tested, including those within the 1-kilometer radius are negative from the highly contagious disease.
“We held this boodle fight to help our local pork meat vendors and to encourage the public to gain trust to locally- produced pork and pork-related products in Guagua,” Torres said.
Congressman Arroyo meanwhile was also present to show support to ceremonial boodle fight.
“We participated in this boodle fight to show the whole nation that pork in Guagua is DA (Department of Agriculture) approved and cleared,” Arroyo shared.
Moreover, Torres also announced that the controversial issue with Double-A Slaughter House in Barangay San Rafael with the town’s public market vendors was already settled.
“We are happy to announce that our new slaughterhouse in Barangay San Rafael is already in full utilization,” he said.
Torres also mentioned that he already lifted an order to confiscate all pork products that will not pass through the accredited slaughterhouses of the municipality.
