By: Jim Lloyd Dongiapon
The City Government of Cagayan de Oro released a certification Friday, December 9, declaring 34 of its 80 barangays free from the African Swine Fever (ASF).
The declaration was made after the aforementioned barangays complied with the Exit from Quarantine Protocol and the rules outlined in Department of Agriculture (DA) Administrative Order No. 7, Series of 2021, or the “Implementing Guidelines of Bantay ASF sa Barangay Program.”
These ASF-free barangays are: Agusan, Baikingon, Balulang, Bayabas, Bonbon, Brgy. 21, Brgy. 22, Brgy. 23, Bulua, Camaman-an, Canitoan, Carmen, Cugman, FS Catanico, Gusa, Indahag, Iponan, Kauswagan, Lapasan, Lumbia, Macabalan, Macasandig, Mambuaya, Pagalungan, Pagatpat, Patag, Puerto, Puntod, San Simon, Tablon, Taglimao, Tagpangi, Tuburan, and Tumpagon.
Samples collected from sentinel pigs in these barangays yielded negative results in the RT-PCR ASF test conducted by the Regional Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory X.
With these, the whole of Cagayan de Oro City has been classified as an ASF “Pink Zone.”
Pink Zones are areas with no detected ASF cases but have neighboring Red Zones. This designation is aimed at preventing the spillover of cases from ASF-infected areas through mitigating measures like biosecurity and surveillance.
The status also allows the locality to sell its pigs. However, only pigs, pork, and pork byproducts from ASF “Green” and “Dark Green” zones, or those areas that are already free from the virus, are allowed to enter the city.
The City Veterinary Office of CDO is also hoping that the ASF outbreaks, which have been affecting the hog industry in various areas in the country since 2019, will come to an end by next year.
It can be recalled that in November this year, CDO temporarily banned the entry of pigs, pork, and its other products from the neighboring Zamboanga Peninsula due to the classification of the region as “Red Zone,” or an area with confirmed ASF cases.