BY ADRIAN P. NEMES III
More than half a million-peso was poured in by the Negros Occidental Provincial Veterinary Office for their simultaneous veterinary relief operations as part of the disaster recovery efforts in flood stricken-areas in the third district.
Provincial Veterinarian Renante Decena said beneficiaries are livestock growers from the cities of Talisay, Silay, and Victorias.
Decena said the relief operations include services, such as deworming, consultation, vaccination, vitamin B supplementation of pets and livestock animals, and dispersal of 300 heads free-range chicks.
He said they also distributed information-education campaign materials on raising livestock during the rainy season.
Dewormers, anti-biotic solubles, electrolytes, vitamins and vaccines were also given for free.
The dispersal of FRCs aims to replenish the stocks of program beneficiaries, who were affected by floods in the past weeks.
The PVO also deployed its veterinarians and technical personnel on each location, in coordination with its Provincial Veterinary District Field Unit, District III spearheaded by District Veterinarian Dr. Ruffa Mae Gersaniva, and in collaboration with the respective city veterinary offices of concerned LGUs, with the assistance of private stakeholders.
The veterinary relief operations were held in the badly-hit barangays 6A and 7 in Victorias City with 97 clients served, E. Lopez and Bagtic in Silay City with 101 clients assisted, and 131 in Brgy. 14B, Talisay City, Decena said.
Decena added that they also urged livestock raisers to register with the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation to aid them in case of losses during catastrophes. Losses to livestock industry due to severe flooding early this month had reached over P8 million.*