Lobo, Batangas placed under state of calamity due to ASF 

A state of calamity was declared over Lobo, Batangas due to the threat of the African Swine Fever (ASF). 

According to a report on “24 Oras” on Wednesday, 17 out of 26 barangays in Lobo have reported cases of ASF in piggeries. 

Hog raisers are now seeking help from the government as the threat of ASF resulted in P103 million worth of damages. 

The Department of Agriculture (DA) said that two other towns in Batangas are affected by the outbreak. 

“We will do checkpoints in coordination with the PNP, LGU, and the Armed Forces para hindi makalabas yung infected na baboy. So we will be doing mass testing ng baboy. Lahat ng baboy na  nag-test ng negative ay ilalabas natin ng Batangas,” said Agriculture Secretary Francis Tiu Laurel Jr. 

(We will do checkpoints in coordination with the PNP, LGU, and the Armed Forces of the Philippines so that infected hogs will be contained within the town. So we will be doing mass testing of pigs. Those that will test negative will be brought out of Batangas.) 

The DA chief assured that ASF-infected pork is safe to eat as long as it is well-cooked. 

The DA also said that the disease could possibly have come from infected pigs that were previously buried but floated above due to the flooding.—Vince Ferreras/LDF, GMA Integrated News