BARAS, Rizal -- Due to the swine flu scare, Rizal hog raisers are losing millions of pesos as people avoid buying pork.

People are not eating pork despite assurances that it is safe to eat pork because the country remains free of the virus.

As the swine flu reports hogged the headlines, people in Rizal prefer to buy fish, beef, chicken, and vegetables.

The Rizal Hog Farmers Association (RHFA) is appealing to consumers to continue buying pork because it is free of the swine flu virus.

Antonio L. dela Torre, RHFA spokesman, said that hogs in the country are vaccinated against diseases and that there is no need to be scared of the swine flu virus.

To prove his point, Dela Torre ate roasted pig (lechon) to show to journalists and the public that it is safe to eat pork.

He said that his farm with more than 2,000 heads of swine housed in five concrete buildings complete with gadgets is not contaminated by the virus.

He and his hog workers change their clothes and pass through the quarantine section whenever they enter the pig pens.

He said that every month, there is a thorough checkup and vaccination of each hog to prevent the animals from getting sick.