GOVERNOR Gwendolyn Garcia has issued an executive order to ban the entry of live hogs, boar semen, pork, and other pork-related products from Iloilo and the entire Panay Island into the province of Cebu for 60 days due to suspected cases of African swine fever (ASF) in the western part of the Visayas.
Garcia issued Executive Order (EO) 42 on Thursday, Oct. 13, 2022, which takes effect from Oct. 14 until Dec. 12, 2022.
The EO aims to protect the P11 billion hog and livestock industries in Cebu.
In Cebu City, the Department of Veterinary Medicine and Fisheries quickly moved to recommend to Mayor Michael Rama the adoption of EO 42, saying Central Visayas is the only region in the country that still remains ASF-free.
Through the order, vehicle passes for livestock transport vehicles and reefer vans from Iloilo and Panay will not be honored anymore in Cebu ports.
Live hogs, boar semen and pork products from Negros Oriental and Negros Occidental will also not be allowed entry if the bearer could not present a certificate for its shipment to the Province of Cebu from their respective provincial veterinarian offices.
The EO also requires all the mayors and barangay animal health aides in Cebu province to strictly implement the order together with the police.
Garcia said in her executive order that while the presence of ASF in the Province of lloilo is still being confirmed, she cannot put the multibillion-peso hog industry in Cebu in danger.
Confusion
Sought for comment Friday, Philippine Association of Meat Processors Inc. president Felix Tiukinhoy said: “We respect the order of Governor Garcia since it is the prerogative of the LGU (local government unit) to issue such a directive.”
“However, it will be more appropriate if such an order is coordinated with or is compliant with policies on animal diseases issued by the national government, particularly the Department of Agriculture, to prevent confusion among all stakeholders,” Tiukinhoy said.
Aside from Western Visayas, some meat products from Luzon are also not allowed entry to Cebu Province.
On Nov. 6, 2019, Garcia issued Executive Order 23, which declares as unlawful the transport to Cebu Province of any and all kinds of meat (chicken, beef or fish) and any kind of food product that has been stored in the same cold storage facility as pork, pork-related products and byproducts sourced from Luzon.
Garcia also extended the ban on shipment of live hogs, pork, pork-related products, by-products and boar semen from Luzon to June 30, 2020, instead of Dec. 28, 2019.
On Sept. 16, 2019, the Provincial Board passed an ordinance imposing a minimum of P5,000 as penalty and jail term of up to six years for persons who smuggle pork and pork-related products to Cebu province from areas affected by ASF.
Areas in Eastern Visayas and Mindanao where cases of ASF have been reported were also included in the ban.
Last May, Garcia said the Cebu Provincial Government would continue to ban the shipment of livestock from Luzon and other parts of Mindanao to protect Cebu’s pork and poultry industry from the effects of the ASF and the Avian Influenza or bird flu that had affected much of Luzon, and other parts of Mindanao and Eastern Visayas.
One-island approach
On Friday, the Cebu City Department of Veterinary Medicine and Fisheries recommended to Mayor Michael Rama to adopt the governor’s EO 42.
DVMF head Dr. Jessica Maribojoc told SunStar Cebu that it is important to have a one-island approach to prevent the ASF from entering Cebu.
Maribojoc said Central Visayas is the only remaining region that remains free from the ASF virus and it is necessary to have a united response to keep this status.
“I have recommended adopting the EO so the approach will be in one direction. This is the only region (Central Visayas) that remains ASF-free, so we have to protect it,” Maribojoc said in Cebuano.
Slipped through
Maribojoc admitted that before Garcia’s EO, pork products sourced from the banned areas had entered Cebu City.
She added that meat inspectors are now monitoring supermarkets and public markets to ensure that these products have passed all meat inspection certificates.
The DVMF has strengthened its campaign against pork products that have been sourced from banned areas, she said.
Maribojoc further said there is enough pork supply since Cebu is not reliant on other provinces when it comes to pork meat.
However, the pigs used for lechon (roasted pig) are still being sourced from Negros Oriental since these breeds of pigs are more suitable for lechon than the ones being raised in Cebu.
Maribojoc assured that these pigs were given clearance from the provincial agriculture office of Negros Oriental to attest that they are free from the ASF virus. (ANV, TPT, IRT, KOC)