Cebu gov, mayor ban pigs from Mindanao due to ASF

CEBU CITY –– Two government officials in Cebu have imposed a temporary ban on live hogs, pork, and pork products from all regions in Mindanao to protect the island from the African swine fever (ASF) that affects the Davao region.

Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia said the pork ban throughout the province of Cebu took effect on Thursday, Feb. 13, and would last for 90 days.

“Despite the strict measures taken by the provincial government to prevent the entry of the ASF virus into the province of Cebu, there is still a prominent risk of the virus entering Cebu from other areas of Mindanao,” Garcia’s Executive Order No. 7 read.

In Cebu City, Mayor Edgardo Labella on Thursday also decided to prohibit live hogs, pork, and pork products from Mindanao for 60 days.

“Since there is a problem in Davao so better include all from Mindanao,” said Labella.

He said the city has enough supply of pork from local producers.

Garcia ordered the ban after a meeting with different stakeholders in Cebu.

“I listened to their concerns. I gave utmost importance to the question, if we ban pork from Mindanao, will we have enough supply for the Cebuanos? Won’t this lead to an increase in the prices of pork? They (stakeholders) assured me that as long as the ban will only be for 90 days, then everything is fine,” the governor said.

“Mindanao is an island, and it is easy to cross borders from one province to the next. And we know that this bacteria can easily be transmitted through clothing, or tires of vehicles,” she added, explaining why there was a need to ban live hogs, pork, and pork products from Mindanao.

Garcia also made another executive order to continue “indefinitely” the ban on pork and pork products from Luzon.

In September 2019, Garcia prohibited the entry of live hogs, pork, and pork products from Luzon which is also affected by ASF.

Edited by LZB