Hamtic: The Department of Agriculture (DA) Regional Office 6 (Western Visayas) has provided 104 sentinel piglets to 52 swine raisers in the municipality of Hamtic, which were impacted by the African swine fever (ASF).

According to Philippines News Agency, Dr. Marco Rafael Ardamil, chief of the Public Health Division of the Office of the Provincial Veterinarian in Antique, confirmed in an interview that each of the 52 swine raisers received two additional piglets free of charge. Earlier, on August 19, these swine raisers had each been given one piglet for a 40-day monitoring period to check for the presence of the ASF virus on their farms.

Hamtic is one of four municipalities affected by ASF in 2023, alongside San Jose de Buenavista, Sibalom, and Belison. The town was reclassified into the pink (buffer) zone on October 31, 2023, which made it eligible for the sentineling program, although it applied only this year. The ASF outbreak in Hamtic resulted in losses amounting to PHP13 million due to 1,359 swine mortalities.