ILOILO CITY — The province of Iloilo has recorded its first confirmed case of African swine fever (ASF) this year, prompting authorities to intensify surveillance and biosecurity measures while assuring the public that there is no need to close the province's borders.
Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) head Daryl Tabuada said the Department of Agriculture confirmed the laboratory result on June 29 after samples were collected from a backyard hog farm in Barotac Viejo on June 23.
The case stemmed from a backyard farmer who sought assistance after five pigs — one sow and four fattener pigs — died. The local government subsequently requested laboratory testing.
“We consider the case as [an] isolated case. We consider the case as [an] incursion case,” Tabuada said on Thursday, July 2.
Tabuada said the affected backyard farm is situated in an isolated area surrounded. Veterinary monitoring in nearby communities has not detected any additional sick or dead pigs, indicating that the virus has not spread beyond the affected farm.
“We conducted thorough cleaning and disinfection in the area, and upon monitoring nearby hog farms, there are no suspected cases or hogs showing signs of disease," he said.
Tabuada added that the PVO imposed movement restrictions on the affected farm, supervised proper carcass disposal, and coordinated with the barangay and local government unit to implement quarantine and disinfection measures.
Biosecurity lapses blamed
He said that upon inspection, the farmer failed to restrict access to his facilities, maintain visitor logs, require clean clothing and footwear, or disinfect vehicles and equipment entering the premises.
“That is why we also emphasize that if farmers engage in backyard swine farming, there needs to be biosecurity level 1,” he said.
These are the things that we need to comply with before we decide to raise swine because the threat of ASF is just around, and one wrong move and you will get infected,” he added.
Tabuada also said that ASF has never been completely eradicated since the deadly virus hit the province in 2022.
“Ever since we have not eliminated ASF, the threat of ASF is present [...] This is our first case this year. If we look at it, the virus is just here; we only need to protect our farms from that virus,” he said.
In 2025, Iloilo province recorded 28 confirmed ASF cases, with 26 cases documented in border towns and two cases traced to a stockyard in Pavia.
No border closure
Instead, authorities will strengthen the implementation of existing transport and quarantine protocols.
“We have not totally eradicated ASF. What we will focus on is the farm biosecurity measures of backyard and commercial farms,” Tabuada said.
He urged local governments, slaughterhouses, livestock traders, and hog raisers to strictly comply with documentary requirements, including veterinary or animal health certificates, disinfection certificates for transport vehicles, and local transport permits.
“No need to panic. Our farmers have already adjusted. We were hit by ASF in 2022. We have to treat ASF like Covid-19. It's already there. We just need to adjust. We have to change our practices in swine raising,” the PVO chief said.
He added that the PVO continues to conduct regular surveillance across municipalities, ports, and border areas through routine sampling to detect possible infections early.
Antique tightens measures
Meanwhile, the provincial government of Antique has tightened border control measures as neighboring provinces continue to report confirmed and suspected ASF cases.
Gov. Paolo Javier has ordered the strict enforcement of quarantine protocols at the province’s border checkpoints. “There are confirmed and suspected cases in our neighboring provinces in Region 6. We need to strictly guard our borders because we do not want ASF to spread again in our province. We have learned our lesson,” Javier said.
Antique has no confirmed or suspected ASF cases. To keep the province ASF-free, veterinary inspectors have intensified monitoring at the province's Veterinary Control Border Stations in Barangay Fabrica, Hamtic; Barangay San Francisco, Anini-y; and Barangay Buhang, Pandan. Provincial Veterinarian Dr. Florencio Macuja said the province continues to prohibit the entry of live hogs, except those transported by the Department of Agriculture and the Agricultural Training Institute for government programs.
Processed pork products may still enter Antique provided traders comply with documentary requirements, including the issuance of a veterinary health certificate.
Macuja said Antique continues to allow the transport of live hogs and pork products to Iloilo.
However, shipments to Capiz and Aklan are prohibited following separate entry bans imposed by their respective local government units.
He urged backyard and commercial hog raisers to strengthen biosecurity measures to prevent the virus from reaching local farms.
“Let us follow proper biosecurity measures and remain our best defense against ASF,” Macuja said.
These include restricting access to pig pens, installing secure fencing, and preventing animals such as dogs, cats, birds, and rodents from entering hogfacilities, as they may contribute to the spread of the disease. RJAY ZURIAGA CASTOR