Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival issued Executive Order No. 086 on July 10, banning pork products from Negros Island and other ASF-affected areas to maintain Cebu’s status as ASF-free.
Carbon Public Market vendors report a decrease in customers due to consumer fear, despite an abundant supply of locally sourced pork from towns like Dalaguete, Barili, and Bantayan.
Carcar’s chicharon industry remains operational, though producers are importing pork skin from Spain due to local supply shortages, raising the retail price for special chicharon to P1,200 per kilogram.
CEBU’s pork supply and its famous chicharon industry are holding strong despite the threat of African Swine Fever (ASF) in neighboring islands. While local pork remains safe and abundant, consumer fears and rising production costs are beginning to shake up the local market.
To protect the local hog industry, Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival signed Executive Order No. 086 on July 10, temporarily banning pigs and pork products from Negros Island and other ASF-affected zones. Even with these tight restrictions, vendors at the Carbon Public Market say they have plenty of meat because their pork is sourced locally from Cebu towns like Dalaguete, Barili, Bantayan, Liloan, and San Fernando.
"Cebu has long produced enough hogs to meet local demand without relying on neighboring islands," explained Carl Joseph Collamat, a live hog supplier.
Despite the steady supply, sellers are facing a different problem: a drop in customers. Geronimo Grande, who has sold pork at the market for ten years, noted that buyers are hesitant because they mistakenly link all pork with the disease, even though Cebu remains ASF-free. This drop in sales is hurting vendors' daily earnings, even as the Department of Agriculture in Central Visayas monitors prices weekly to keep them stable.
While public market vendors face a slump, Carcar City’s legendary chicharon industry is keeping its momentum. City Tourism Operations Officer II Johanna Grace Delos Reyes shared that production is running normally and demand stays strong, with orders pouring in from trade fairs, expos, and buyers across Cebu.
This resilience comes despite Governor Pamela Baricuatro’s Executive Order No. 39, which placed a 45-day ban on pigs and pork products from Negros Island after ASF cases were confirmed in Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental. Delos Reyes acknowledged that while past ASF scares and high fuel prices temporarily slowed down tourism and sales, the chicharon industry has successfully bounced back.
Though demand for chicharon is high, local makers are dealing with a shortage of their main ingredient: pork skin. Marivic Aldueso, manager of a historic Carcar chicharon factory operating since the 1950s, revealed that local slaughterhouses cannot keep up with their needs.
To keep making their famous snack, the factory now imports pork skin with meat all the way from Spain. Because of these rising expenses, the retail price for special chicharon has climbed to P1,200 per kilogram. However, Aldueso noted that demand remains steady, and they adjust their daily production based on what retailers order.
As the government tightens biosecurity, local vendors are asking authorities to look at the bigger picture. Jenifer Paciencia Navaja, a Carbon Public Market vendor with nearly 30 years of experience, expressed that the massive volume of imported pork entering the country is actually a bigger threat to local livelihoods than temporary travel bans.
At the same time, supplier Collamat warned that authorities must stay alert against the illegal transport of hogs, as a single mistake could ruin Cebu's disease-free status.
Cebu successfully remains free of ASF, but the economic ripple effects are hitting home. From quiet market stalls where worried shoppers are staying away, to chicharon factories changing their supply chains to keep shelves stocked, local businesses are doing everything they can to adapt and protect one of Cebu’s favorite delicacies. GERVIE PALUGA, JINELLE RHEA SIMBAJON, MI KIZZIAH REEVE TANTOG, UP CEBU INTERNS