• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The setting up of African Swine Fever checkpoints in Murcia and Talisay City, which have borders with highly urbanized Bacolod City was ordered yesterday by Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson, after Bago City established border checkpoints.
Bacolod City has already opened its borders to the entry of live hogs, pork and related products, contrary to the stand of the provincial government of Negros Occidental.
Lacson said that the provincial government is ready to augment limited manpower at border checkpoints, if there is a request from the concerned local government units.
The entry of live pigs, pork and related products from Negros Oriental, Panay and Guimaras, Cebu province, Region 8, Luzon and Mindanao, aside from Bacolod City, which were declared as ASF red zones, into the 31 LGUs of Negros Occidental are prohibited, based on the executive order issued by Gov. Lacson.
We are supposed to be watching our borders, he stressed, citing the setting up of border checkpoints in the cities of San Carlos, Kabankalan, and Hinobaan.
Lacson said he will sit down with the concerned local chief executives, stressing that they should understand that the provincial government is “trying to save the hog industry in their areas.”*
