MINALIN, Pampanga — The Department of Agriculture, in coordination with the Provincial Government of Pampanga, distributed 135 sentinel piglets to help revive the livelihood of 45 local hog raisers affected by the African swine fever (ASF).
Gov. Dennis “Delta” Pineda, along with board member Nelson Calara, special assistant to the governor Angelina Blanco, and provincial veterinarian Dr. Augusto Baluyut, Jr., personally attended the event at the Barangay Bulac Covered Court on Friday, July 19.
“Nung atatandanan yu pu dati anyang atin tamu pang ASF, pekamarakal la pu reng babi a kinate tamu keng balen Minalin. So, anyang mengutang la pu nung sanu ing mumunang makatanggap babi, sabi ku, balen Minalin pamu pu dapat,” said Pineda.
Each recipient received three piglets and six bags of feed under the Integrated National Swine Production Initiatives for Recovery Expansion (INSPIRE) Program of DA-Central Luzon.
Bjorn Quiambao, regional livestock program alternate focal person, said the sentinel piglets will be subjected to a 40-day fattening period before undergoing a PCR test to confirm they are free from ASF.
“Kanina, katabi ko ang municipal veterinarian, napag-alaman ko na nasa pink zone na ang Minalin. After ng pink, pwede na sila mag-yellow if negative pa rin sa ASF,” Quiambao said.
The ASF zoning system includes the Red Zone for confirmed ASF cases with strict quarantine, the Pink Zone as a buffer with extra surveillance and movement restrictions, the Yellow Zone for monitoring to prevent ASF spread, the Green Zone where ASF is absent but preventive measures continue, and the White Zone where areas have been cleared of ASF and returned to normal activities with continued monitoring
Minalin Mayor Noel Philip Naguit expressed his gratitude to the governor for selecting his town as the first recipient of the program in the province. —Jasmine Jaso/GO-Pampanga
