MALITA, Davao Occidental – The Davao Occidental capitol on Tuesday declared a state of calamity in the province due to the African Swine Fever (ASF) outbreak that Gov. Claude Bautista described “as a very big problem for the province” given that thousands of families depend on backyard hog-raising to augment their family income largely dependent on agriculture and fisheries.

SWINE FEVER THREAT. Davao Occidental and agriculture department officials hold a town hall dialog in Malita, Davao Occidental on Tuesday on plans in dealing with the African Swine Fever (ASF) that has hit the province. The Davao Occidental government has already declared a state of calamity as ASF threatens the province’s swine population. (photo by Manman Dejeto, Mindanews)

Bautista pushed for the slaughter of all hogs in four of the province’s five municipalities to prevent the spread of the disease.

“The solution to the problem is to eradicate the pigs in Davao Occidental. You think only Don Marcelino was affected. But for your information, Sta. Maria, Malita and Jose Abad Santos were also affected,” he said.

Bautista created a task force to investigate how the contagion intruded Don Marcelino, and said officials found negligent would be charged.

He said a lockdown in the movement of hogs and pork products is in place across the province.

The provincial board approved the recommendation of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office to place the entire province under a state of calamity.

Bautista said they would ask President Duterte for emergency assistance to address the ASF outbreak.

He said the owners who would yield their hogs would be paid.

Ricardo Oñate Jr., DA regional director, said laboratory tests on samples taken from Don Marcelino confirmed that ASF caused hog deaths.

He said they are still determining how the highly contagious hemorrhagic virus got to the coastal town of Don Marcelino, the first locality in Mindanao with confirmed cases of ASF.

For the proposed depopulation of pigs, Oñate told reporters the “most humane way is to hit them with a hard object because we don’t have gas chambers or stunning devices” to kill them.

Evelyn Gildore, the municipal agriculturist, said the ASF has killed 2,956 pigs in Don Marcelino as of Monday night.

Don Marcelino Mayor Michael Maruya said, “This morning, 40 pigs were reported dead in his town and could reach more than 100 for the entire day since the ASF continue to hit the backyard farms... Every day since the outbreak, pigs are dying.” (Bong S. Sarmiento, Mindanews)