La Trinidad, Benguet – The municipal government distributed a total of P816,000 to some 33 hog raisers in Barangay Beckel as the local government’s financial assistance to the affected families due to the confirmed African Swine Fever (ASF) case in said barangay.
Mayor Romeo K. Salda formally handed over to the beneficiaries their computed financial assistance during the simple turnover ceremonies that was conducted in Barangay Beckel recently.
Aside from their computed financial assistance from the local government, the 33 beneficiaries also received 1 cavan of rice each as part of the local government’s commitment for them to be able to recover from the ASF infestation that caused the slaughtering of nearly 300 pigs that they had been taking care of as part of the source of their livelihood.
“We want to give our ASF affected hog raisers the needed financial assistance which they could use to recover from the calamity that struck them that caused their hogs to be depopulated thereby resulting to huge losses on their part. We want them to recover so that they will have the needed sustainable source of livelihood to maintain the living condition of their families,” Mayor Salda stressed.
The local chief executive added that the financial assistance that was extended to the beneficiaries will be over and above the assistance that will be provided to them by the provincial government and the agriculture department.
(Update: The Sangguniang Bayan of La Trinidad was also instrumental in the quick release of the assistance as they approved the budget immediately after it was referred to them upon motion of Councilor Nestor T. Fongwan, Jr. due to the urgency of the matter.)
Earlier, local veterinarians were able to discover ASF infected hogs from a piggery farm in the said barangay that caused the culling of nearly 300 pigs owned by some 33 hog raisers who were located within the 1-kilomete radius from the epicenter of the detected ASF case.
Subsequently, the Beckel Barangay Council declared the said barangay under a state of calamity following the reported ASF infection to allow the provision of the needed assistance to the affected hog raisers for them to be able to recover from the slump in the hog industry in their area of jurisdiction.
Under the policy of the agriculture department, ASF-affected hog raisers will be Indemnified with the amount of P5,000 per head of culled pigs that are 28 days old and above where the assistance will be extended up to a maximum of 20 heads payable in 3 years.
For the municipal government, Salda explained that the municipal agriculture office made some computations that resulted to the financial assistance from the local government which were distributed to the beneficiaries for them to use in recovering from the calamity that affected their source of livelihood.
ASF cases had been reported in 7 areas in 4 towns of the province over the past several weeks that prompted the provincial government to implement a zoning of the ASF-affected areas so that appropriate monitoring will be done by veterinarians and agriculture officers to prevent the spread of the animal disease to other areas within their jurisdiction to prevent the contamination of more pigs that would result to the scarcity of the supply of pork in the whole province in the future.
Salda called on local hog raisers to be vigilant and observant on the behavior of their pigs so they will be able to report to concerned authorities possible instances that will allow the early detection of the ASF to prevent the further spread of the animal disease to their areas in the province.
By HENT