A DAY after Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia sued officials of the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) and Department of Agriculture (DA) over their declaration and handling of the African swine fever (ASF) threat, the BAI reported on Thursday, March 30, 2023 that ASF infection has increased to 12 areas in Cebu province, from just six last week.
On Monday, March 27, BAI placed the following towns and cities under the red (infected) zone: the cities of Bogo, Carcar, Cebu, Mandaue, Lapu-Lapu and Talisay, and the towns of Cordova, Liloan, Minglanilla, San Fernando, Sibonga and Tuburan.
The BAI based the latest ASF Zoning Status of all provinces, towns and cities in the Philippines on data gathered from March 6 to 27, 2023.
Officials in Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu City said Thursday they were unsure why their cities had been placed under the red zone. But Lapu-Lapu and Cebu City officials don’t see the status as affecting the pork supply in their areas.
Zoning status
Last March 1, ASF was first detected in Carcar City. Then on March 20, the BAI reported the presence of the viral hog disease in Cebu City, Liloan, Sibonga, Tuburan and Bogo City.
Under the latest Zoning Status, the following are now under the pink (buffer) zone: the towns of Aloguinsan, Argao, Asturias, Balamban, Catmon, Compostela, Consolacion, Dumanjug, Medellin, Pinamungahan, Ronda, San Remigio, Sogod, Tabogon and Tabuelan, and the cities of Naga and Toledo. Buffer zones refer to the areas immediately around the red zone.
The municipalities of Alcantara, Badian, Borbon, Carmen, Daanbantayan, Dalaguete, Moalboal, and Danao City were identified as surveillance (yellow) zones, while the towns of Alcoy and Alegria were protected (light green) zones. All other Cebu areas were free (dark green) zones.
In a report, the BAI said the ASF Zoning Status and color-coding were in accordance with DA Administrative Order 2, series of 2022 on the National Zoning Movement Plan that sets the guidelines for the movement of live pigs, genetic materials and byproducts in between the colored zones.
Governor Garcia has yet to give a comment on the latest pronouncement of the BAI.
BAI Director Paul Limson and DA officials did not answer calls and messages from SunStar Cebu Thursday for comment.
Complaint
On March 29, Garcia filed a complaint against DA and BAI officials at the Office of the Ombudsman Visayas, over their handling of the ASF threat in the province which, she said, caused harm to Cebu’s hog raisers and sellers of lechon and other meat products when their sales fell on BAI’s declaration that ASF had reached Cebu.
BAI Director Dr. Paul Limson, BAI deputy program coordinator Dr. Samuel Joseph Castro; BAI coordinator on ASF Dr. Joshua Cruz, BAI regional veterinary quarantine station head Dr. Miriam Lopez Vito, and DA Central Visayas ASF coordinator Dr. Daniel Ventura were charged by Garcia for allegedly violating provisions of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, the Local Government Code of 1991, and the New Civil Code.
This stemmed from the BAI’s insistence on imposing its color coding and zone mapping, as well as culling of swine within the 500-meter radius of the infected area, without first validating if it was really the ASF virus, and not any other virus or infections, that were detected in the pigs in Carcar, Garcia said.
After 141 pigs were culled in Barangay Can-asujan in Carcar City earlier this month, Garcia ordered a stop to both the pig cull and random testing of pigs for ASF. She lifted all ASF border controls in Cebu province on March 21.
Lapu-Lapu City
In Lapu-Lapu City, City Veterinarian Dr. Janice Togonon told SunStar Cebu Thursday that it is possible that ASF was found among the three blood samples of live hogs that the City Veterinary Office submitted to the BAI last February.
She said they collected blood samples last month in three barangays following reports that some live hogs got sick. They got one blood sample each from Barangays Bankal, Gun-ob and Marigondon.
However, she said the detection of ASF in the city would not likely have much effect on its live hog population since Lapu-Lapu City does not have a big swine industry.
Togonon said hogs being raised in the city, including on Olango Island, may not reach 2,000.
“We cannot compare Lapu-Lapu City to other municipalities and cities with big swine industries that supply meat,” she said.
Mandaue City
In Mandaue City, Veterinary Office head Karen Merilles told SunStar Cebu that they still had to check with BAI as to why it placed the city under the red zone.
“We have no idea what the basis of BAI is. We also still have to check on that,” said Merilles.
She added that they will ask Mayor Jonas Cortes what the City will do regarding the latest report.
Cebu City
In Cebu City, its classification under the ASF red zone has had no effects on its pork meat inventory so far, city officials said.
Department of Veterinary Medicine and Fisheries head Jessica Maribojoc told SunStar Cebu Thursday that the supply of pork products may increase as the city will now accept hogs and pork products from backyard and commercial farms, including those coming from infected and buffer zones, subject to the submission of documentary requirements.
“No (change in supply) because all those coming from colored zones can enter the city,” said Maribojoc.
Cebu City Market Administrator Wendel Cenas said that since the detection of ASF in the city, both the supply and price of pork products in the markets have remained relatively steady.
“No significant decrease of supply and no drastic increase of price,” said Cenas.
On March 30, prices of pork meat in Carbon Public Market ranged from P210 to P360 per kilo.
Maribojoc said control points in the city will still be implemented to check the entry of hogs and pork products.
The City veterinarian said they are closely monitoring the area within 500 meters of the infected site where the first eight pigs that tested positive for ASF were located.
The BAI first announced that there were hogs found positive for ASF in Cebu City last March 20.
Maribojoc said nine pigs in another pig pen located within 500 meters of the infected site have been tested, and they are still waiting for the test results.
Maribojoc said there is no movement of live hogs in the area while they await the test results of the hogs.
Since the detection of ASF in the city, the DVMF has culled 12 pigs.
Here’s a map showing the ASF situation in Cebu.
(with HIC, TPM)