BALANGA CITY — The provincial veterinary office here announced Wednesday that the sentinel pig program of the Department of Agriculture was ongoing in Bataan. Dr. Alberto Venturina, provincial veterinarian, said they started distributing sentinel piglets on Aug. 23, starting in Morong, followed by Limay on Aug. 30, Bagac on Sept. 1, Balanga City on Sept. 6, Orion on Sept. 8 and the latest in Mariveles on Sept. 20.
Sentinel piglets are placed in a given farm for 40 days to be sure that there is no more African swine fever virus in the area.
Venturina said each town received 150 piglets with three distributed to each farmer beneficiary plus nine sacks of feeds.
Agatha Pauline Cleto de Leon of the office of the provincial veterinarian said they were readying piglets for the towns of Pilar, Hermosa, Dinalupihan, Abucay, Orani, and Samal.
In Alion, an upland village in Mariveles, barangay chairman Al Balan said that 50 beneficiaries on Tuesday were each given three piglets, nine sacks of feeds,
disinfectants, dewormer, antibiotics, and vitamins for the pigs.
Venturina led the distribution with other officials of the Department of Agriculture and municipal government headed by Mariveles Mayor Ace Jello Concepcion witnessing the turn-over.
“Ito ay sa ilalim ng programang INSPIRE o Integrated National Swine Production Initiatives for Recovery and Expansion. Inaasahan na muling aangat ang industriya ng pagbababuyan sa tulong ng programang ito at makakabangon ang mga tinamaan ng ASF,” Balan said.
