Dozens of dead pigs seen floating down Marikina River

Dozens of dead pigs have started turning up one-by-one at the Marikina River, much to the surprise of fishermen and residents in the area who grew apprehensive amid reports of a swine fever in the country.

A report on GMA News 24 Oras on Thursday said residents began spotting dead swines floating down the river Wednesday night. Local authorities are still clueless whether the hogs died from drowning, from infectious disease, or were part of batches culled following news of the African Swine Fever reaching Philippine shores.

"Nangingisda po kami kagabi eh nung may nakita ako baboy nagkakaanod. May buhay pa nga akong nakita kagabi diyan na sisinghap singhap eh 'di ko na lang ginalaw... Eh baka mahawa ako ng sakit eh," said resident Gild Fernando of Bayabas Street.

Using a backhoe, local authorities came down the river to fish the pigs — which came in all sizes and types, from full grown ones to piglets — out of the water.

They estimated between 30 to 50 pigs were carried away by the current. The local veterinary said they no longer inspected the swines for any infection and instead immediately buried them to prevent spreading any disease.

Authorities clarified that humans cannot get infected by the ASF virus but other pigs can contract the disease.

"Kailangan diretso ilibing para hindi na kagad kumalat yung sakit. Sa tao hindi siya nakakahawa pero highly contagious siya sa kapwa baboy nila. Napakaimportante na napakalalim ng hukay. Walang contact ang tao sa mga baboy na inililibing natin," said city veterinarian Dr. Manuel Carlos.

Both the grave site, the backhoe, and the surrounding area were all disinfected.

A member of the city's engineering department who responded to the site fell into the river and got hurt after he was accidentally hit by the backhoe. The man managed to hold on to a rope and was scooped out of the water. He sustained wounds in his chest and arms.

Veterinarian Carlos suspected that the pigs could have come from neighboring Rizal province, as Marikina does not house any pig farms.

"Ang mga ilog na ito ay nanggagaling sa taas, San Mateo, Montalban... Walang baboy sa Marikina eh. Wala kaming farm dito. Wala kaming slaughter house," he said.

Carlos slammed the pig farm owners where the swines came from because they did not dispose of the dead animals properly.

"Ito nga yung maling mali eh. Hindi namin maintindihan kung sino itong may-ari ng mga baboy na ito bakit nila pina-aanod sa ilog. Sa lugar na tumulong sa pagkontrol ng sakit eh lalo silang tumutulong sa pagkalat ng sakit na ito. Nako- contaminate na ang ating tubig sa ilog," he said.

Despite the incident, children were still seen frolicking in the water afterwards. — MDM, GMA News