The Ilocos Times

LAOAG CITY—Another barangay in Ilocos Norte has been added to the “red zone map” of African swine fever (ASF), provincial veterinarian Loida Valenzuela confirmed on Feb. 26, 2025. In an interview, Valenzuela said surveillance operation is ongoing within the 300-meter radius of the affected piggery farm at Brgy. Alejo Malasig in Vintar, Ilocos Norte, as around 300 pigs are needed to be culled to arrest the further spread of ASF to nearby areas. Barangay Rayuray in the city of Batac has been tagged recently as a “red zone area” due to single case of ASF. Fortunately, it was immediately contained due to the residents’ cooperation with the Bantay ASF Task Force. “We are encouraging our livestock raisers to observe biosecurity measures both housing improvement and change in their hog raising practices,” Valenzuela told the Philippine News Agency on Wednesday. To minimize damage, farmer-clients are advised to insure their livestock to protect their source of livelihood. “Good thing...

  By Dominic B. dela Cruz ( Staff Reporter) Piddig , Ilocos Norte—"What we did was like hitting two birds with one stone”, Piddig Mayor Eduardo “Eddie” G. Guillen said in their effort to help his constituents as the pandemic rages and to help local hog raisers as the African swine fever now also threatens the province. “ Ta ngamin ginatang mi dagitay baboy dagiti kailian min ta awan met aggatangen tapnu matulungan mi isuda a mai- dispose and at the same time matulungan mi pay dagiti kakailian mi ta maparti dagitoy ket maibunong para kadagiti amin nga households ti ili a Piddig,” Guillen explained. The mayor also disclosed that he is monitoring with the Provincial Veterinary Office on the ASF situation in his town and their neighboring areas. He added that since Piddig is ASF-free, he decided to help local hog raisers here by buying their hogs and adding them to relief packs, which they also distributed to local residents. Aside from the pork meat, each household wil...

  ASF in Vintar. Vintar Vice Mayor Victor Amado Rasimo confirms that Brgy. Dipilat of his town is ASF-affected during an interview with the local media. ( Doms dela Cruz) By Dominic B. dela Cruz ( Staff Reporter) Vintar , Ilocos Norte—The African swine fever (ASF) has now affected this town. Vintar Vice Mayor Victor Amado Rasimo personally confirmed this in an interview with the local media. Rasimo reported that they have culled 581 ASF-infected hogs at Brgy. Dipilat here. He said he and municipal agriculturist Dr. Myrna Simon have already met with the provincial ASF task force twice, which confirmed the ASF cases in the said barangay. “ Isu a pangngaasi tayo appo lalo dagiti adda taraken na a baboy ti intero a Vintar ta ipalubos tayo kuma a maalaan iti blood samples dagiti baboy tayo tapnu saan kuman nga agwaras ken al-alisto met laeng a mai- declare ti ili tayo nga ASF-free no maduktalan a negative dagiti taraken tayo a baboy ,” Rasimo implored his townmates. ...

Solsona Sangguniang Bayan members Jonathan De Lara (standing right) and Nestor Dela Cruz (standing left) discus with the other council members the proposed municipal ordinance prescribing omnibus guidelines on the implementation of preventive measure against ASF in Solsona as Solsona Vice Mayor and SB presiding officer Bob G. Sacro (seated center) and other SB members listen. The said measure was approved in its third and final reading in the regular session and was authored by De Lara. ( Doms Dela Cruz ) By Dominic B. dela Cruz  (Staff Reporter) Solsona , Ilocos Norte—With the imminent African Swine Fever (ASF) threat to the hog industry of here, members of the Sangguniang Bayan unanimously approved an ordinance prescribing omnibus guidelines in the implementation of preventive measures against this virus with accompanying penalties to those who would not abide by them. In order to arrest the negative economic impact brought by ASF, Sangguniang Bayan member Jonathan De Lara ...

By Leilanie G. Adriano ( Staff Reporter) LAOAG CITY—More than 1,000 pigs in Solsona and its neighboring Dingras town in Ilocos Norte have been culled to contain the spread of African swine fever (ASF), the Provincial Veterinary Office reported. While depopulation is ongoing within the infected zone, Dr. Loida Valenzuela, provincial veterinarian, has urged hog raisers to cooperate with local authorities by reporting an unusual death of pigs in their areas and to refrain from feeding them with swills or getting their water from an irrigation canal. According to Valenzuela, they are still investigating what triggered the outbreak which started in the remote Brgy. Manalpac in Solsona with a few small hog raisers. During the course of their investigation, they found out that a farmer from Brgy. Maan-anteng in Solsona town dumped his dead piglets and sow in a water irrigation system that spread to other sub-villages. “All adjacent municipalities near the border of Apayao are being ...