ASF now in 10

bgys, 6 towns

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol Jan 11 (PIA) –African Swine Fever (ASF), the hog disease that is fatal to pigs which has been infected of the virus, has now reached Purok 4 of Manuel Roxas, in Trinidad.

This brings the highly contagious swine disease to ten barangays in six towns, as of January 11.

And if Boholanos continue to disregard safety measures against the spread of the disease, there might not be pigs left for the fiesta months of May.

A disease with a potential to wipe out entire populations of hogs in Bohol, ASF only came to Bohol after several years when the disease has hit pig farms in Luzon in 2019.

As an island and physically separated from islands with reported infection of the disease, Bohol immediately set up measures to inform incoming guests and homecoming Boholanos to surrender raw pork or cooked and processed products upon arrival at the airport or port, or be fined and administratively sued.

Bohol also hired veterinary quarantine inspectors and sniffing dogs to screen baggage and cargo coming in, to make sure that no contaminated meat can get it.

However, the porous boundaries also makes Bohol vulnerable to incursion of smuggled meat and processed pork from nearby red or infected areas.

While there have been ASF incursions in the past, the two recorded cases in San Vicente Pilar and Mayacabac in Dauis, all ended up contained and did not spread to other areas.

Last November 21 however, animal health authorities confirmed the incursion of the disease in San Vicente San Miguel, where, to date, 314 swine heads owned by 144 families have to be culled to curb the spread of the disease.

A week later, similar reports of massive deaths of swine in backyard farms in Batuan surfaced.

Poblacion Sur officials with veterinary authorities have to cull 84 swine heads from 15 households and buried these along with unconsumed feeds, to stop the spread of the disease.

At nearly the same time, animal farmers in Poblacion Norte of the same town reported deaths of pigs that 264 swine heads from 56 families have to be culled.

When authorities thought San Vicente San Miguel could be cleared, the disease was reported to have slipped to nearby Bayongan and then to Los Angeles Ubay.

Here in Bayongan, authorities depopulated 310 swine heads of 145 households, while in Ubay, 75 hog heads have to be destroyed from 19 households.

From Los Angeles, the disease also crawled out to San Francisco where 51 heads form 21 households were killed.

And then the disease was also spotted in Carmen in Nueva Vida Norte, where 24 heads from 4 households have to be culled.

And then, in in Buenos Aires where pigs also died, 35 pigs have to be killed and buried, 7 households possibly losing potential for profits.

This week, the disease was also reported in Trinidad.

With this, based on Department of Agriculture Memorandum Circular No 10, series of 2019 and Administrative Order No. 22, series of 2020, deputy governor Tita Baja has issued quarantine control in Trinidad, banning live and meat from entering or leaving Manuel Roxas, and mandating testing in areas outside the 100 meters from the index case. (RAHC/PIABohol)

With new house to keep them dry, 

Balbuena’s next luck could be in 

Shawshaw’s dreamt future

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, Jan 8 (PIA)—Without the leak that brings drips of rain into his mat, there would be better nights ahead for Sherwin Balbuena, 19 years old. And then he could much better roll on to his dreams.

Born with deformed limbs, making him unable to walk and even crawl, Sherwin, or Shawshaw for family and friends has been confined to his sleeping mat most of his childhood and young adult age.

“He grew up through the times when our small hut made of light materials had to be repaired and refurbished twice until typhoon Odette crumpled what was left of the already crumbling structure,” shares Robert Balbuena, Shawshaw’s father in an interview. Without a clear provision for a house made Shawshaw’s life even more miserable.

Second among the Balbuena kids, Shawshaw could have envied when his four siblings would rise up and leave the room every morning to play, as his version of play is only to roll to the corner, and back.

Or roll away from where occasional drips of rain leaks through the battered and rusty tin roof.

Born from Robert, who works on call as a laborer for a wedding services provider and Marjorie, a local day care teacher, Shawshaw, and his brothers could only dream of better house than the contraption they have grown into.

Life could have been a little bit comfortable had they continued to live with their grandma’s house. But a few months after getting married Robert and Marjorie think they need to live on their own.

That was when Robert built a basic house on four posts, bamboo and anything that could give them privacy.

Discarded tarpaulin, abandoned bill boards, junk tin and corrugated sheets, plywood pieces, split bamboo and round timber roughly hewn to form the frame of the house is fair game for Robert. And Marjorie.

It was not much: four posts holding up a crapped tin roof, living, dining, small kitchen and shared bedroom, but there was love and patience here.

That could probably be why Shawshaw, when his siblings walk out of the room to school, would struggle to draw, or write, using his mouth.

From there, he asked his parents to get him to school. And when his drawings got a little bit better.

“He can draw, he can write using his mouth,” shares his mother Marjorie, and he is diligent in learning things,” she added.

When he is not on his mat, he would be propped up in a corner in school, attending to classes, writing and drawing with the pencil gripped in his mouth.

His father would scoop him up to the nearby Monserrat Elementary School then, surviving the days of interrupted elementary days despite getting bullied and called unpleasant names by kids who see him in his unusual condition.

All the while he survived, sometimes frustration stopping him from school and then getting back in, until he finished Grade VI.

“He is very good with cellphones,” his sun-burnt skinned father said, which is something the boy could get from exploring the gadget’s functions while alone in the bedroom.

Born with a congenital disability that has kept him incapable of escaping from his sleeping mat, without actually saying it, Shaw-shaw is trying to prove that disability is not defining his future. And his family.

Determined to survive, Shawshaw keeps in his mind that getting liberated from this thing called a house means getting educated.

“I just wish them good health, and for me to fulfill my ambition,” Shawshaw meant his parents so he could continue his Grade 9 studies in Fatima High School Alternative Learning class.

The Balbuenas, whose already hunched house finally crumbled to the ground at the heat of typhoon Odette, had just received a new decent house from well-meaning citizens: foremost of them, Bohol Governor Erico Aristotle Aumentado and wife, Congresswoman Vanessa.

Funding the police-picked project called Libreng Alagad ug Balay, the Aumentados, along with the Bohol Provincial Police Office have motivate even more Boholanos to abide by the law as the free houses only go to law abiding Boholanos like the Balbuenas.

“One time, there was a slight rain and the police patrol car stopped, the officers got off and trudged the trail to the house. I was wondering about any illegal thing I did, I could not recall,” remembers Robert when the team arrived to inspect their storm damaged house.

The police chief went in, looked up the dripping blue tarp roof, and to Shawshaw who was half wet in his mat and accordingly said, you deserve more than a house.

In Bohol, police stations are directed to submit potential beneficiaries of the police’s libreng balay, these would be evaluated based on their capacities and the beneficiaries’ being law aboding and are responsibly living in the community.

In Monserrat, the Balbuenas were among the three recommended families to get a free house, but the two unfortunately did not own the lands where they built their Odette-damaged houses, according to Marjorie, occasionally bowing while unconsciously rubbing her hands.

“Magpasalamat mi ni Gob Aris ug Maam Vanvan, sa among kapitan, sa kapolisan nga nagvolunteer, kay sukad ma sukad, karon ra gyud mi maka-angkon og desente nga balay,” Marjorie, who had the governor and the police provincial director as new year guests during the house turn-over, meekly added.

“Og wa mi tabangi nila Gov, di mi makarecover sa among pamuyo,” Robert, who sidelines as a handyman added, while Shawshaw who was on the mat in the room played on his cellphone, touching the touch-screen with his tongue.

“Some day, when I will finish college, I will design and build our house, the disabled young adult who wished to become an architect, said as a matter of fact.

Now, with a new house to keep him dreaming of a better future, Shawshaw can study more comfortably at preparing for his ALS exams, to get him to college. And mouth-design his house.

Amo siya nga tumanan, kay, abi na lang ingon siya niana, dili na siya kahatagan sa iyang pangandoy, the mother in Marjorie finally surfaced.

To that, the man in the mat paused his game, looked up and smiled. (PIABohol)

UNINVALID MIND. Sherwin Balbuena may have an invalid body but his mind works fine, and to get this on, Gov Aris and Congresswoman Vanessa funded the building of a free house for the Balbuenas. The Balbuena house is the 40th Libreng Alagad of Balay (LAB) which the BPPO and the Aumentados built in the first year after the LAB launch.

CONTRAPTION. The Balbuenas have to contend themselves living in the ruins of their house which Odette totaled. Anything goes to provide them a little bit of privacy, says Robert.

P4.1 M for 400+ ASF-

affected pig growers

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, Jan 9 (PIA)—Since November 24 to this date, some P4,137,000 have been given to or are in the process of being distributed to 417 households whose animals were among those depopulated to prevent the spread of African Swine Fever (ASF) that has hit 9 barangays in 5 towns.

The amount represents the 1,207 heads of hogs ranging from sucklings to breeders, which have been depopulated being within 100 meters from a confirmed ASF case.

Based on the Department of Agriculture Memorandum Circular No 10 Series of 2019 and Administrative Order No. 22 series of 2020, which act as guidelines in the veterinary quarantine movement protocols, authorities shall do a mandatory test and destruction as well as swine depopulation shall be done within the vicinity of a confirmed ASF case.

To this, governor Erico Aristotle Aumentado has led the Provincial Government to set aside, not a huge amount, but something that could help alleviate production losses and encourage animal farmers to promptly report cases of animal disease to allow authorities to quickly set up control points.

In Executive Order No 37-A, s of 2023, it provides P2 million from the funds of the Office of Provincial Veterinarian (OPV) and another P2 M from the provincial Disaster and Risk Reduction Management Fund.

The EO also provides entitlement rates for animals that get depopulated such as farmers of sacrificed sucklings get P1,000, weanlings P3,000 and breeders P5,000.

However, those entitled are only those whose pigs are destroyed during depopulation and not for deaths that happen while owners refused to have their animals sacrificed, to stop the viral spread.

With the fund allocated, in San Miguel, which had two barangays affected and some 624 hogs depopulated, hog growers are entitled to some P2,332 million cash assistance from the provincial government.

If the farmers had their hogs insured through the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation, they could still get more help, while the local government has also a menu of help for the hog-owners.

OPV also reports continued depopulation and blood sampling operations in Bayongan San Miguel, to contain the disease in the next 15 days. This means, the town folks would still need additional cash aid to alleviate the loses in the culled animals.

Batuan on the other hand, which also had two barangays affected by the animal disease, reports 352 swine heads culled after infections were noted within the animals 100 meter vicinity.

With that, 71 animal farmer families are entitled to some P1,458,000 as indemnification for the culled swine heads.

As Poblacion Sur in this town reported additional depopulation and continued daily monitoring, Poblacion Norte had no more reported cases but has to continue blood sampling and surveillance and monitoring.

In Ubay, 40 households tend to get entitled to a total of P283,000 and still undetermined amount for San Francisco animal owners whose hogs were among the 126 heads culled to cordon off the disease.

Another two barangays in Carmen have reported the presence of the animal disease: Nueva Vida Norte and Buenos Aires.

All together, about 59 heads of swine have been culled, more depopulations are expected within the next few days, affecting 11 households as yet.

These animal farmer families could get P64,000 and even more with Buenos Aires still in the process of completing their papers for the cash aid.

Most recently, the disease is back in Pilar after a series of infections in its neighboring towns.

Barangay la Suerte now reports 50 swine heads depopulated from 6 hog grower families, the amount of entitlement still to be determined as documentation processes continue.

Pilar however, like its first case in San Vicente a few months back, did not happen to spread further. (RAHC/PIABohol)

Since August 2024

Tagb, Dauis coastal waters

Freed from red tide, finally

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, Jan 10 (PIA)—It is now safe to glean for seashells and crustaceans from the coastal waters of Tagbilaran Bay and Dauis.

This as the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), in its succeeding Shellfish Bulletins from August 3, 2024 to date, found no more traces of the harmful Paralytic Shellfish Poison (PSP) or most commonly known as red tide in fish, squids, shrimps, crabs, and all types of shellfish that can be gleaned in the mentioned areas.

For over a decade, the BFAR has issued a no harvesting, no selling, no buying and no eating of shellfishes and marine food collected from the coastal waters of Tagbilaran City and Dauis.

The sea waters here have been the lifeline of city students who end up consuming their food allowances before the next allocation gets in.

Also, reports of shellfish poisoning have happened to people who ate shellfish they gathered from here.

The BFAR advisories have urged local government units to implement measures to keep people whose livelihood depends on gleaning, to keep off the areas where gathering of shellfish is banned.

And while many thought the prohibition was only for a short time, succeeding shellfish bulletins by the BFAR continued to announce the presence of high levels of PSP in shellfish and fish gathered from the area.

While many people thought getting rid of the red tide in the coastal waters of Tagbilaran City and Dauis would be tough considering that the lagoon which formed after the construction of Dauis Borja Bridge has restricted the free flow of the water during tidal changes, the BFAR shellfish bulletin number 18, issued August 3, 2024 changed all that.

Since then and after every 15 days of the BFAR collecting shells for laboratory analysis, 17 shellfish bulletins later, the BFAR team has not found the toxin levels in the shells safer now for human consumption.

In its Shellfish Bulletin No 2, series of 2025, which is the latest bulletin issued January 8, 2025, BFAR has now listed Irong-irong Bay in Samar, coastal waters of Daram Island in Samar, Matarinao Bay in Eastern Samar, Dumanquillas Bay in Zamboanga del Sur and the coast waters of Tungawan ni Zamboanga Sibugay Provincie still positive for PSP or the toxic red tide that is beyond the regulatory limits.

In these areas, all types of shellfish and uyap gathered from here are not safe for human consumption. Moreover, fish, squids, shrimps and crabs are safe for human consumption provided that they are fresh and washed thoroughly and the internal organs such as gills and intestines are removed before cooking.

The same bulletin, as with the earlier bulletins since August 3 listed the coastal waters of Tagbilaran City and Dauis as free from toxic red tide.

Bohol sits long with 92 other areas across the country, which have been earlier declared with red tide, but has been freed from the threat.

The last shellfish bulletin when the coastal waters of Tagbilaran City and Dauis Bohol was still with the red tide was sined by BFAR officer in Charge Isidro M. Velayo Jr., while the newest shellfish bulletin was signed by Atty. Demosthenes Escoto, BFAR Director. (PIABohol)

HAPPY DAYS AGAIN. Shellfish gleaners who earn their living from gathering seashells and selling them in the city market, now that the BFAR has declared the seas here freed from red tide. It has been 5 months since BFAR has not found toxin levels in shellfish here harmful for human consumption. (PIABohol)

Gov Aris to meet mayors for

Grab Trike intra-town opns

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, Jan 6 (PIA)—If plans do not go awry, trike operators in Tagbilaran City could be given access to serve in Dauis and Panglao while those who operate tricycles in the two tourism can also be allowed to pick up fares Tagbilaran.

This as Governor Erico Aristotle Aumentado, along with Grab Philippines, leaks a plan to gather local chief executives of these two towns and the city, to discuss the details of how Grab can help in putting up a unified on-demand-trike service to serve the commuting public and the tourists.

Still lagging in accomplishment in the government’s transportation modernization program, Bohol is also feeling the inadequacies of the past administration’s failure to come up with local public transport route plans in several areas, especially those that could have served tourism circuits.

The vacuum in public transport service presented itself as the perfect opportunity for private transport providers to operate on contracted rates, without basing on the approved Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board tariff, resulting in overcharging.

The issue has also concerned the governor who ends up getting all the unpleasant complaints about the seemingly whimsical system that has kept illegal private transport operators as the kings of the road here.

“This is an opportunity for us and the travelers who have complained of the exorbitant fares demanded by those who think of getting one time-big time,” Governor Aumentado said.

“I am looking forward to welcome Grab Trike,” he added, knowing that Grab has also offered the Grab super-app for the operation of Grab Trikes in Zamboanga City recently.

The governor told Grab officials that he has talked with City Mayor Jane Cajes-Yap and called on Dauis Mayor Roman Bullen and Panglao Mayor Edgardo Arcay for them to sit down to address the issue

Sa tinuod lang, makatabang ning Grab Trike, he narrated trike drivers from Panglao and Dauis complaining about being banned entry in Tagbilaran City, while city trike drivers have also the same meat against their incapacity to serve fares to Panglao and even passing Dauis.

Unlike public jeepneys and buses, trikes are operated under the regulation of local government units, so that Aumentado hinted this as an easier way to manage with only a few local chief executives to pitch into the project.

Once a trike driver or operator applies for Grab Trike accreditation, they automatically allow Grab super-app to track and monitor their operations in real time, with automatic fare computations and routes that the commuters can see and agree.

If given the necessary support by the mayors that we will meet, commuters from Tagbilaran City can hail an accredited Grab Trike and ferry him to his destination in Dauis or Panglao without much of a hassle. The same would be true for trikes in Dauis or Panglao.

Amidst spreading complaints about the operation of tricycles and their drivers who appear to be untouchables, demanding exorbitant rates, refusing fares and displaying attitude, and violating every conceivable traffic law, many people have aired hope that Grab can level-off the playing field in the local transport.

With Grab affiliation, just as the super-app links the driver and his unit to Grab as well as the passenger, Grab can see the route which the app suggests, and any major diversion which the driver takes, allows the passenger to immediately alert Grab.

Any complaints filed online against the driver, diminishes his points at Grab, in a system of rewards and punishment, explains Ronald Rada, Grab Country director.

The complaint can also range from driver’s hygiene, attitude, tariff violations, according to Grab.

And while Grab Trikes can also be regulated by LGUS which gives the operational franchise, the LGUS can also enhance and sanction erring drivers for blatant violations.

For Governor Aumentado, Grab Trikes can also be a very good source of Livelihood, as Grab’s CJ Lacsican VP for Cities and Business Operations, bared that with Grab, a driver usually earns about 3 to 4 times the usual take home of a daily wage worker. (rahc/PIABohol)

GRAB OPPORTUNITY. Governor Erico Aristotle Aumentado shared to Boholanos the plan to allow Grab Trike intra-LGU operations in Tagbilaran City, Dauis and Panglao, to expand transportation options for business and tourism, as catches up with the approval of its delayed local public transport route plan, which is the basis for LTFRB to open up new franchise routes. (PIABohol)