The pigs, that were found dead at the shores of Oriental Mindoro, allegedly jumped from a ship passing by, according to a fisherman who saw the incident.
Fisher Wilfredo Guitierrez told Municipal Agriculture Office that on the morning of January 21 while he and his son were fishing, they saw that the pigs were jumping from the ship.
The ship is said to be heading to Manila.
“Apat ‘yung tumalon na ‘yun, halos sabay-sabay… Nasira ‘yung hawla sa karamihan ng kargang baboy… Buhay ‘yun nu’ng tumalon, hindi naman kusang itinapon ng taga barko,” he said.
(The four almost simultaneously jumped. Their cage broke. They were alive when they jumped, those in the ship did not throw them.)
Gutierrez admitted that they brought home a live pig, culled it, and cooked it. Some were distributed to neighbors.
“Okay naman, wala naman sumakit ang tiyan. ‘Yung tumulong sa pagkakatay pinagbibigyan ko,” he added.
(We are all fine, no one got a stomach ache. I gave pork to those who helped me cull the pig.)
Despite this, local officials still want to investigate the incident.
Also read: Pork prices in Or. Mindoro drop due to dead pigs found offshore
Pigs seen jumping from ship in Mindoro
Due to the incident, the fishing in the area where the pigs were found was affected.
According to Mayor Mark Marcos, they have seen 17 dead pigs in recent days, including two found this Wednesday morning.
“Ito po ay nasa advance stage ng decomposition, medyo mabaho na. Ang problema nga po dahil itong ating mangingisda ay naaapektuhan dahil may reported sa akin na ang tao ay natatakot namang kumain ng isda,” Marcos said in an interview with TeleRadyo.
“Ang naapektuhan ngayon bukod dito sa nag-aalaga ng hayop, ‘yung mga nagtitinda natin sa palengke, itong mga mangingisda parang naapektuhan na rin po,” he added.
In the same program, Director Ronnie Domingo of the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) said that the Provincial Veterinary Office reported to them that 35 dead pigs were found along the coast of the towns of Naujan and Pola in Oriental Mindoro.