* Mayor Roy Vincent Singco confirmed that Ginatilan, Cebu recorded its first African swine fever cases after upland barangays Cagsing and Calabawan tested positive via Department of Agriculture - Central Visayas Regional Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory tests.
* The local government established strict border checkpoints, temporarily suspended the livestock market, banned pig slaughtering in affected areas, and prohibited entry of swine products from Negros Oriental.
* The southwestern town outbreak underscores biosecurity risks from nearby Negros Island, where Cebu Province currently maintains a ban under Executive Order 44 to protect its P20-billion hog industry.
AFRICAN swine fever (ASF) hit two barangays in the southwestern town of Ginatilan, Cebu, prompting local officials to impose strict biosecurity protocols and border controls to stop the virus from spreading.
Ginatilan Mayor Roy Vincent Singco confirmed to SunStar Cebu in a message on Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026, that two upland barangays, Cagsing and Calabawan, tested positive following laboratory results from the Department of Agriculture - Central Visayas Regional Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory tests.
“Yes, the two barangays are positive for ASF based on the results from the Provincial Veterinary Office,” Singco said in a mix of Cebuano and English.
Singco noted that this is the first time the Municipality has recorded positive ASF cases. A team from the Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) alongside the Ginatilan Municipal Agriculture Office is on the ground tracing the cause of the infection.
Checkpoints and biosecurity protocols
To contain the outbreak, the local government established checkpoints to restrict swine transport and prevent farm visits by company personnel.
“We have checkpoints in the barangays, especially in the two affected barangays, to prevent the movement of pigs, and company technicians are prohibited from entering here,” Singco said in Cebuano.
“Yes, we coordinated with the PVO. They are guiding us on technical matters,” he said.
Singco clarified that outside feed representatives and breeding technicians are restricted from entering farms.
“We have checkpoints to ensure pigs are not transported, and feed company and artificial insemination technicians are temporarily not allowed to enter,” he said in Cebuano.
“We temporarily stopped the livestock market on Tuesday and Friday for two weeks,” he said in a mix of Cebuano and English.
Movement controls and trade suspension
Ginatilan is a fifth-class municipality with 14 barangays located at the southwestern tip of Cebu. In response to the outbreak, Singco issued an executive order enforcing strict movement controls and biosecurity measures across the town effective Saturday, Sept. 19.
Under the order, the entry, exit, and transport of swine, swine products, livestock, vehicles and vessels involving Cagsing and Calabawan are prohibited without written clearance from the Municipal Agriculture Office and the PVO. The directive emphasizes the urgent need to contain the disease within the affected areas, prevent cross-barangay transmission, and block entry from high-risk locations.
Local authorities banned slaughtering or butchering pigs for family consumption or sale within the two affected barangays and suspended all livestock buying, selling, trading, or transfers within Ginatilan. No livestock transport trucks or carriers are allowed to enter any barangay in the town to load, unload, buy, or sell livestock, although national road through-traffic between Barangay Looc and Barangay Palanas is permitted provided vehicles do not stop or conduct business. Violating vehicles and cargo will be turned back and subjected to inspection, quarantine, or disposal.
Additionally, the entry of live swine, swine meat and pork products originating from Negros Oriental is banned across all land and sea entry points. Field deployment of animal technicians and artificial insemination personnel was halted to prevent mechanical transmission of the virus. According to the Department of Agriculture Philippine Carabao Center website, artificial insemination is a reproductive tool used to produce animals with better productivity for milk and meat by harnessing superior genetic materials of the dairy buffalo breed.
Border enforcement and public cooperation
Internal checkpoints were set up at all access points in Cagsing and Calabawan, while border checkpoints were established in Looc, Palanas, Mangaco and Salamanca. The Philippine National Police leads land and highway border control with support from barangay officials, the Bureau of Fire Protection and the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office. The Philippine Coast Guard enforces coastal borders.
Municipal officials urged residents on their official Facebook page to follow the rules and coordinate with authorities.
“Barangay Cagsing and Barangay Calabawan were placed under movement restrictions. Please follow the provisions of the Executive Order. Let us follow the guidelines, as it is important that we cooperate with the authorities,” an official post said in Cebuano.
Officials emphasized that community cooperation remains critical to containing the outbreak.
“Everyone’s cooperation is important to prevent the spread of ASF. Be vigilant, help one another, and protect our livelihood, especially the swine industry in the town,” the post said in Cebuano.
Provincial oversight and smuggling pressures
Gov. Pamela Baricuatro issued Executive Order (EO) 44 on Aug. 20, extending the province-wide ban on live hogs, fresh or frozen pork and processed pork products from Negros Island and other ASF-affected regions for another 45 days to protect Cebu’s P20-billion hog industry. The order extends the earlier restrictions established under EO 39, which expired on Aug. 21. The provincial directive mandates heightened vigilance at all airports, seaports, roll-on/roll-off facilities and private landing points because of the proximity of Negros Island to Cebu. Local swine farms, slaughterhouses and livestock operators were ordered to implement strict biosecurity protocols, restrict nonessential personnel and disinfect vehicles.
Ginatilan’s first positive ASF case highlights the constant coastal pressure facing southwestern Cebu towns given their proximity to the Negros Island Region and active sea routes linking the province through key ports in Toledo City, Dumanjug, Samboan and Santander. Cebu has faced previous cross-border biosecurity breaches. On Oct. 26, 2024, around 80 hogs were reportedly smuggled into Dumanjug from Negros Oriental amid heightened ASF alerts in Cebu. / CDF With reports from ABC