Batangas town under calamity state due to ASF
Batangas town under calamity state due to ASFThe municipal council of Lobo in Batangas province declared the town under a state of calamity due to the spread of African swine fever (ASF) and its impact on the local hog industry. A resolution passed by the council on Aug. 6 showed that at least 16 out of 26 barangays had recorded cases of swine fever, with total animal deaths pegged at 8,818 as of July 31.
The outbreak “has immensely affected the livelihood of thousands of hog growers or raisers whose daily income relies on the hog-raising and meat-selling market,” the resolution read, with losses reaching P103,338,000. The declaration will enable the local government to use its calamity funds to extend assistance to local hog raisers.
There is no vaccine yet for the highly contagious swine disease, according to the National Meat Inspection Service. A pig infected with ASF usually dies in two to 10 days and the animal mortality rate goes as high as 100 percent, the Bureau of Animal Industry said. —DELFIN T. MALLARI JR.
Tourist arrivals up in Catanduanes
The island province of Catanduanes saw a surge in its foreign and local tourist arrivals during the second quarter of the year, according to a report published by the Catanduanes Tourism Promotions office on Wednesday. From 358 foreign tourists during the second quarter of last year, the number of tourists for the same period this year reached 3,316, reflecting an 826-percent increase.
The number of domestic arrivals also jumped from 38,081 last year to 43,270 during the same period this year. These numbers do not include the 138,266 “same-day” tourists, or those who do not stay overnight in the province, in the second quarter of this year. Tourism arrivals have generated close to P52 million in domestic tourism receipts and over P19 million in foreign gross receipts, according to the tourism office.
“We are continuously maintaining our efforts to bolster our tourism industry as the years go by, and this growth is clearly a manifestation of the hard work and dedication of our tourism communities, private tourism enterprises, municipal governments, the Department of Tourism Bicol and the provincial government,” said Carmel Bonifacio-Garcia, provincial tourism officer.
Despite experiencing almost year-round typhoons, which gave the province its tagline, “The Land of the Howling Winds,” Catanduanes still draws tourists for its beaches, caves, quaint stone chapels and abaca products. —REY ANTHONY OSTRIA
