Sagay City to launch dog registration program

BACOLOD CITY — The City of Sagay in Negros Occidental is set to launch a Dog Registration Program for easy monitoring of pets in line with the observance of Rabies Awareness Month this March.

Dr. Baltazar Delorino, city veterinarian, said in a statement on Tuesday they aim to register an initial 10,000 dogs in the northern Negros city.

To implement the program, the City Veterinary Office (CVO) will take the dog’s photo, issue a dog tag, and give a record booklet to the owner to keep track of the activities of the pet.

Delorino acknowledged that “irresponsible” pet ownership remains as the CVO’s biggest problem and appealed for an active community participation to address such concern.

He called on the Sagaynons to be responsible owners by securing and feeding their pets well so they would not harm other people.

“Avail of our veterinary services such as consultation, vaccination and castration. Do not wait for the CVO to come to you, have the initiative to keep your pets safe and healthy,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Sagay CVO dismissed the allegation that they are using a “gas chamber” in eliminating impounded stray dogs.

Delorino said his office is open for investigation to check on the veracity of the alleged practice as claimed by a post on a social media site.

He pointed out that “carbon monoxide” poisoning is prohibited under the amended Republic Act 8485 or the Animal Welfare Law.

Instead, euthanasia or putting the dogs to sleep by using anesthesia is applied because it is a more humane and lawful way of eliminating impounded stray dogs, Delorino added.

The Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) in Negros Occidental has stepped up its efforts to reduce, if not eliminate rabies, with the implementation of the Rabies Control Action Plan for 2019.

The PVO has also begun organizing dog owners to assist its initiatives to bring down rabies cases in the province.

In 2018, canine rabies cases in Negros Occidental increased by 50 percent, totaling 33 from only 22 in 2017. There were seven human deaths in the past year. (PNA)

Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1063685

NegOcc Vet readies measures to cushion effects of dry spell

BACOLOD CITY — The Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) of Negros Occidental has started monitoring the effects of extreme heat to livestock and poultry, following reports of damage to rice farms in the southern part of the province.

Dr. Ryan Janoya, head of PVO Animal Health and Meat Inspection Services Division, said as of Tuesday, their field monitoring did not indicate significant losses, so far among livestock and poultry farms.

“We have been anticipating a period of extreme heat due to climate change every year. Losses before were not that huge as local raisers had prepared and mitigating measures were also in place,” he said.

Janoya added that the PVO, through the district veterinarians and livestock inspectors, continuously reminds backyard raisers to implement measures to lessen the possible adverse effects of the dry weather to animals.

Considered most vulnerable to extreme heat among livestock are swine and broiler for poultry.

A swine has no sweat glands thus the animal has difficulty regulating its body temperature and needs to be bathed frequently.

Broiler is fast-growing and has fast metabolism, but weak in coping with heat regulation.

Janoya said they have been advising raisers to avoid putting their animals in areas with high temperature like those exposed to sunlight.

“It’s better to place animals in shaded areas like under the trees, and provide them sufficient amount of water,” he added.

Janoya said raisers should also provide additional supplements to animals like multivitamins and electrolytes so that they would become resistant to diseases.

With the heat associated with El Niño projected to intensify this month, the PVO has briefed veterinarians in different districts and local government units to immediately report animal deaths caused by extreme heat.

“Proper reporting is essential as it enables the PVO to immediately assess the situation and provide technical assistance, if necessary,” Janoya said.

The Office of the Provincial Agriculturist is also validating reports of the damage caused by extreme heat to some rice farms in the southern Negros town of Cauayan. (PNA)

Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1063627

NegOcc studying to boost livestock, poultry sector

BACOLOD CITY — The Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) here continues to explore measures to further develop the livestock and poultry sector in Negros Occidental.

Provincial Veterinarian Renante Decena said in a statement on Friday that they hold monthly consultative meetings as part of the initiatives of the provincial government to produce more livestock and poultry products.

The latest meeting was held last February 27 in Victorias City and attended by PVO personnel, city veterinarians, municipal agriculturists and livestock technicians.

“We are banking on the active participation of all stakeholders involved in livestock and poultry production,” Decena said.

The Provincial Veterinary Office initiates a cattle fattening project through the Negros First Ranch in Barangay Sta. Rosa, Murcia town to boost livelihood opportunities for Negrense raisers.
*File photo from PVO-Negros Occidental*

He added that the consultative meetings also underscore the animal diversification and livelihood program of the province.

The strategic framework involves five major commodities such as black pigs, dairy and beef cattle, broiler production, layer and free-range chicken.

In line with the upcoming “Panaad sa Negros Festival” in April, the PVO will also hold various activities like live animal exhibits and other programs that required the cooperation of local government units.

Moreover, the PVO veterinarians also gained knowledge boost with their participation in the recently-held 86th Scientific Conference and Annual Convention in Iloilo City.

Decena led the delegation from the province during the three-day event organized by the Philippine Veterinary Medical Association (PVMA), where they learned new techniques about prevention, diagnosis and treatment of different animal diseases.

They also got updates on emerging and re-emerging animal diseases, including African Swine fever, that could cause significant impact to the livestock and poultry industry.

The PVO said one of the major concerns faced by veterinary professionals is the development of antimicrobial resistance due to the indiscriminate use of antibiotics in food animals, where standard treatments become ineffective, infection persists, and creates the possibility of spreading.

The PVMA aims to develop measures to avoid the further emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance and strengthen the implementation of policies on responsible use of antibiotics in veterinary practice, it added.(PNA)

Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1063408

NegOcc dog owners organized to aid anti-rabies campaign

BACOLOD CITY — The Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) in Negros Occidental has organized dog owners to assist its initiatives to bring down rabies cases in the province.

Dr. Renante Decena, provincial veterinarian, said Thursday that in organizing a dog owners club, their main goal is to strengthen responsible pet ownership and create more awareness of the anti-rabies campaign.

“The organization of dog owners club is a province-wide initiative. Through the organization, educating the members, as well as the community about responsible pet ownership, would be easier,” he said.

Members of Hinigaran Dog Owners Club with personnel of the
Negros Occidental Provincial Veterinary Office District Field Unit V led by veterinarian Ma. Regina Gawan during their recent meeting.
Photo courtesy of PVO-Negros Occidental

Decena noted there is already a dog owners club in each of the six congressional districts of the province, but not in all local government units.

In the 5th District, the Hinigaran Dog Owners Club held an organizational meeting at the PVO District Field Office in the town recently.

The activity was led by district veterinarian Ma. Regina Gawan in coordination with the municipal agriculture office of Hinigaran, in line with the 2019 Rabies Control Action Plan formulated by the PVO’s Animal Health Division.

Gawan said the participants were reminded of responsible pet ownership and the government’s rabies control and prevention program.

Owning a dog requires time and commitment in taking good care of the animals, and aside from provision of shelter, food and obedience training, dogs should also be given regular vaccination to protect them from diseases, she added.

Records of the PVO showed that in 2018, canine rabies cases in Negros Occidental increased by 50 percent, totaling 33 from only 22 in 2017. There were seven human deaths in the past year.

The PVO has stepped up its efforts to reduce, if not eliminate rabies, with the implementation of the Rabies Control Action Plan for 2019, which includes the formulation of a risk-based map for rabies vaccination based on the occurrence of recorded rabies cases. (PNA)

Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1061371

Land Bank taps NegOcc Vet Office as partner for financing program

BACOLOD CITY — The Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) is partnering with Negros Occidental’s Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) for the implementation of a financing program for backyard animal raisers.

Dr. Renante Decena, provincial veterinarian, said Wednesday their office is the bank’s partner, specifically in the evaluation and implementation of the program in the province.

“The evaluation will start this week and will focus on the capability of the raisers to produce, as well as pay the acquired loan,” he said.

Dr. Renante Decena (2^nd from right), provincial veterinarian of Negros Occidental, and LBP-Bacolod assistant vice president Vivian Cañonero (4^th from left) during their meeting at the Provincial Veterinary Office in Bacolod City on Monday (Feb.4, 2019).
*Photo courtesy of PVO-Negros Occidental*

Decena, who met with officials of LBP-Bacolod led by assistant vice president Vivian Cañonero on Monday, said the initiative is under the Agricultural Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (ACEF) lending program of the Department of Agriculture (DA), coursed through the state-owned bank.

The program was initially intended for commercial farming, but eventually expanded to small-scale rice and other crop production, as well as livestock.

Through the program, the LBP will provide financial assistance to qualified raisers subject to a certain interest rate.
Decena said the PVO is pushing for the provision of financing support, particularly to animal raisers with production gaps, such as those for layers and goat in southern Negros.

He noted that the lack of financing is one of the reasons some raisers failed to sustain their production. The LBP is amenable to such proposal, he said.

“Aside from the production aspect, financing would also help raisers in terms of marketing,” Decena said, noting that most of the raisers being assisted by the PVO are also clients of the bank.

According to the DA, the ACEF lending program aims to increase productivity of farmers and fisherfolk by providing them and their cooperatives and associations and micro and small-scale enterprises the necessary credit for the acquisition and establishment of production, post-harvest, and processing machinery, equipment and facilities, and farm inputs, among others.

A maximum of PHP5 million can be availed of by farmer and fisherfolk cooperatives, associations, and MSEs and PHP1 million by individual farmer and fisher.

The LBP shall manage the credit facility funded and shall determine the eligibility requirements and set the required loan security or collateral and reasonable interest for the loan, it added. (PNA)

Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1061149

NegOcc LGUs upgrade abattoirs to meet standards

BACOLOD CITY — Local government units (LGUs) in Negros Occidental are seeking to upgrade their slaughterhouse facilities to meet the Double A (“AA”) classification required by the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS).

These facilities, considered as locally registered meat establishments (LRMEs), are located in 11 cities and nine municipalities and classified under the “A” category since these have not yet acquired NMIS accreditation.

This was reported by the Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) as of Tuesday as its Animal Health and Meat Inspection Services Division headed by Dr. Ryan Janoya continues to monitor the operations of various slaughterhouses in the province.

Dr. Sheila Ann Billena, plant manager of Sagay City Abattoir, and Dr. Benzon Jadoc, veterinarian for District II, during a previous inspection of the local government-run slaughterhouse in Sagay City, Negros Occidental.
*File photo from PVO-Negros Occidental*

Currently, Negros Occidental has three slaughterhouses with “AA” accreditation, including the Sagay Abattoir and Meat Processing Plant in Sagay City, Bacolod City Slaughterhouse, and Victorias Foods Corp. in Victorias City.

Janoya said based on their monitoring this month, the Sagay abattoir has boosted its income during the last quarter of 2018. “This is attributed to the expanded operation of the facility starting last September,” he said.

Janoya said the slaughterhouse in Sagay is now catering to more local commercial hog raisers, and making meat products available to areas outside the province like Cebu City.

The abattoir located in northern Negros, which can slaughter 50 to 100 heads per hour, has a cold storage capacity of 50 to 100 tons of pork carcass, poultry, and other meat products.

In the last quarter of last year, the Sagay facility started to market meat products instead of live animals, especially pork.

The provincial government has been promoting the marketing of frozen pork carcass given that it is more beneficial compared to selling live animals.

The selling of pork carcass eliminates loss weight, injuries and mortalities among animals during shipment affecting meat quality, the PVO said.

Slaughterhouses with “AA” classification are those facilities and operational procedures sufficiently adequate that the livestock and fowls slaughtered are suitable for sale in any market, within the country. (PNA)

Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1059671

NegOcc vet office collects P10.9-M in revenues

BACOLOD CITY — The Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) in Negros Occidental collected a total of PHP10.9 million in revenues in 2018, which is 6.7 percent higher than the PHP10.2 million in the previous year.

The PVO’s earnings came from farm income and collection of laboratory and veterinary fees.

Dr. Renante Decena, provincial veterinarian, said on Wednesday the increase can be attributed to the effective implementation of Provincial Tax Ordinance No. 2017-001.

A client applies for a veterinary health certificate required for animal shipment at the Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) in Bacolod City.
*Photo courtesy of PVO-Negros Occidental*

He noted that they have strengthened the implementation of its provisions, particularly on information dissemination and delivery of technical services among commercial farm owners and backyard gamefowl farms.

“We have been campaigning for them to register their farms,” he said.

Decena added that the higher income also reflects the interest of stakeholders to avail of the PVO’s services.

Reports of the PVO showed that regulatory services, including veterinary health certificate issuance, livestock and gamefowl registration, and traders’ license application mostly contributed to the revenues, totaling almost PHP7.2 million.

Income generated from farms and sale of various products reached about PHP3.5 million while collections from laboratory services and dairy training fees totaled PHP222,424 and PHP50,060, respectively.

Decena said this year, the PVO targets to increase its collection by improving its products and services. (PNA)

Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1059105