Over 4,000 individuals affected by ASF in Lobo, Batangas receive food packs from GMA Kapuso Foundation

More than 4,000 individuals who have been affected by the African Swine Fever (ASF) in Lobo, Batangas, received aid from the GMA Kapuso Foundation.

According to "24 Oras" Monday, residents of Lobo, including hog raisers, are buckling from the impact of ASF, which has caused the deaths of their hogs and affected their livelihood.

The Municipal Agriculture Office declared a state of calamity over Lobo back in August; out of the town's 26 barangays, 21 have logged ASF cases.

"Possibly dahil sa mga traders, 'yung mga saskyan ng mga livestock haulers natin na nanggaling sa contaminated areas na pumasok sa Lobo, posible din na mga livestock farmers na na-expose sa ibang bayan o sa ibang lugar," said Dr. Dyesebel Andaya, Lobo Municipal Agriculture Officer, about the spread of ASF.

The GMA Kapuso Foundation provided lift to those affected by the ASF by distributing food packs, soap, and bread to the residents. It also donated vegetable seeds to the Municipal Agriculture Office in Lobo.

To support the GMA Kapuso Foundation's projects, donations may be made via Metrobank, Land Bank, BDO, Bank of Commerce, UnionBank, PNB, Cebuana Lhuillier, GCash, Lazada, and Shopee. Visit the GMA Kapuso Foundation website for more information.
 
Lobo has one of the highest cases of ASF. In late August, the Department of Agriculture - Bureau of Animal Industry (DA-BAI) kicked off a controlled trial of ASF vaccine from Vietnam and began inoculating healthy pigs in the town in an effort to curb the spread of ASF.

According to a report by "24 Oras Weekend" on August 31, the Batangas provincial government has recorded 15,212 hog deaths in Lobo alone due to ASF. — CDC, GMA Integrated News