CEBU City Mayor Nestor Archival says the city has remained free of African swine fever (ASF) and assures that current safety protocols are effective.
The statement comes after Councilor Pastor “Jun” Alcover pushed for a new executive order (EO) to tighten controls on hogs entering the city, citing recent outbreaks in other provinces.
In a press conference on Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025, Archival said Cebu City has not recorded any ASF cases since September 2024. He credited the Department of Veterinary Medicine and Fisheries (DVMF) for its strict monitoring of hog shipments and slaughterhouses.
“Everything is being followed. If 20 hogs are brought in, all requirements are checked and blood samples are tested to make sure they are ASF-free. Our DVMF is very active,” Archival said.
Archival said a new EO would only formalize guidelines that are already being enforced and would merely reflect existing rules based on national law.
Alcover earlier asked the mayor to issue an EO adopting the Department of Agriculture’s Administrative Order No. 02, Series of 2022, which sets stricter rules on the movement of hogs and pork products.
Alcover, who chairs the City Council’s agriculture committee, said the ASF remains a big threat to local hog raisers, especially backyard farmers. It has no cure or vaccine, with culling as the only control measure.
Alcover noted that ASF outbreaks have recently been reported in several provinces, including Bohol, where hundreds of pigs died in just days.
He also recalled that the Bureau of Animal Industry reported ASF cases in 21 provinces late last year, while Cebu Governor Pamela Baricuatro lifted the provincial ban on hog shipments last July to lower pork prices.
ASF advisories
To tighten biosecurity measures, the DVMF issued an advisory detailing updated entry requirements for hogs, effective this Sept. 15.
For hogs coming from other provinces, the requirements include an ASF-negative test result, a Veterinary Health Certificate indicating the Cebu City abattoir as the destination, shipping and transport permits, Department of Agriculture accreditation, a Bureau of Animal Industry disinfection certificate, a route plan, a notarized undertaking, and DVMF acceptance certificates.
For hogs originating from Cebu Province, the requirements are a Veterinary Health Certificate, a certification stating there have been no hog mortalities in the area of origin, and an ASF-negative test result.
Meanwhile, for hogs coming from within Cebu City, the required documents include a barangay livestock health certificate, a green slip from the City Agriculture Department, and an ASF-negative test result for pigs from affected barangays.
The City Council has approved Alcover’s motion requesting the mayor to issue the EO and directed the DVMF to convene stakeholders in the hog sector to coordinate disease-control measures.
Archival said he has no objection to formalizing the existing guidelines through an EO but emphasized that the safeguards are already in place. / CAV