Batangas province under state of calamity due to ASF

The Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Batangas on Monday declared a state of calamity due to the increasing cases of African Swine Fever (ASF) in the province.

In a Facebook post, the Batangas public information office said placing the province under a state of calamity is in accordance with the recommendation of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council headed by Governor Hermilando Mandanas,

As of August 9, the Batangas Office of the Provincial Veterinarian said that ASF has affected seven towns in the province.

On August 6, the town of Lobo declared a state of calamity after 17 barangays out of 26 reported positive ASF cases.

Calatagan and Lian also declared a state of calamity on August 9.

Meanwhile, the Department of Agriculture (DA) has tallied 64 municipalities in 22 provinces that have reported active ASF cases as of August 8.

This prompted the AGAP Partylist to push for the declaration of a nationwide state of calamity due to the effects of ASF.

ASF, a highly contagious disease for hogs, has been decimating swine populations in the country since its detection in 2019.

The declaration will allow the province to use its calamity fund to address the problem.—Joahna Lei Casilao/AOL, GMA Integrated News