After three years of being free from African swine fever (ASF) for three years, Bacolod City recorded two positive cases of the virus.

In a statement on Friday, Bacolod City Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said the results from the initial test conducted on two pigs in Barangay Taculing showed that they were confirmed positive for ASF.

He said the pigs came from Bago City which is part of the province’s Fourth District where many swine deaths were reported due to hog cholera in the past weeks.

The Mayor immediately ordered the culling of pigs within a 500-meter radius in the areas where pigs reportedly died.

Department of Agriculture-Western Visayas (DA-6) officer-in-charge Jose Albert Barrog also confirmed the ASF cases in Bacolocd City.

“What was announced by Mayor Albee was based on the laboratory test we conducted -- the result was positive. But the result will still be confirmed by the Bureau of Animal Industry in Manila. The confirmation will still be on Monday,” Barrogo said in a separate statement.

He said he advised Bacolod City Mayor to activate the local task force and develop a containment plan to prevent the spread of the disease and a recovery plan for the affected hog raisers.

Written By Ailah Francisco, DZRH News Online Intern