Pork Producers Federation of the Philippines vice chairman Rolando Tambago said traders continue attempting to ship hogs from the Negros Island Region to Cebu to meet demand for smaller native pigs preferred by local lechoneros for crispier skin.
The movement of hogs persists despite Cebu’s province-wide ban on live hogs, fresh or frozen pork, and processed pork products from Negros Island and other ASF-affected areas extended by Gov. Pamela Baricuatro through Executive Order 44.
Ginatilan Mayor Roy Vincent Singco confirmed the municipality's first African swine fever cases in upland barangays and enforced strict border restrictions, while Tambago noted that surplus large pigs have pushed farmgate prices down to about P140 per kilogram live weight.
THE crisp skin of Cebu lechon may partly come from hogs raised in neighboring Negros Island Region (NIR), where native pig varieties preferred by lechoneros in Cebu remain more widely available.
Despite Cebu’s continued ban on hog shipments from Negros and other African swine fever (ASF)-affected areas, traders continue attempting to bring hogs into the province to meet demand for lechon-size pigs, Rolando Tambago, vice chairman of the Pork Producers Federation of the Philippines, told SunStar Cebu on Monday, Sept. 21, 2026.
Tambago said Negros raisers frequently attempt to ship hogs to Cebu because they specialize in the smaller native pigs preferred by local lechoneros.
“Normally, Cebu doesn’t produce much lechon-size pigs,” he said, adding that native pig varieties remain widely available in Negros but have become scarce in Cebu.
Tambago said the native varieties are preferred partly because of their skin.
“Lechon pig variety is normally naa pa paka native nga klase and available kaayu na sa Negros while sa Cebu wala na kaayu ana nga klase,” he said.
(The lechon pig variety is normally still the native kind, which is widely available in Negros, while in Cebu there is not much of that kind anymore.)
Crispiness factor
Asked whether native pigs are what make Cebu lechon’s skin crispier, Tambago said: “Yes, mas crispy ang native pigs.” (Yes, the native pigs are crispier.)
He clarified that the difference is mainly in the skin rather than the meat’s flavor.
“It’s more on the crispiness of skin. Ang taste same lang (The taste is the same),” he said.
Infection risk
The continued movement of hogs from Negros persists despite quarantine measures aimed at preventing the entry and spread of ASF in Cebu.
The Provincial Veterinary Office is currently managing an ASF case in Ginatilan. Tambago said he suspected the case was linked to hogs illegally shipped from an infected province.
Ginatilan Mayor Roy Vincent Singco confirmed the municipality’s first ASF cases after pigs in the upland barangays of Cagsing and Calabawan tested positive in examinations by the Department of Agriculture-Central Visayas Regional Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory.
Singco ordered strict border restrictions, temporarily suspended the livestock market, banned pig slaughtering in affected areas and prohibited the entry of swine products from Negros Oriental.
Gov. Pamela Baricuatro issued Executive Order 44 on Aug. 20, extending Cebu’s province-wide ban on live hogs, fresh or frozen pork and processed pork products from Negros Island and other ASF-affected areas for another 45 days.
Raisers squeezed
While Cebu has enough hogs for the general pork market, the surplus is also putting pressure on local raisers.
Tambago said farmgate prices have fallen to about P140 per kilogram live weight, below production costs as feed and other farm inputs become more expensive.
The result is a peculiar market gap: Cebu has more than enough larger pigs for ordinary pork consumption but continues to rely on neighboring Negros for the smaller native pigs used for lechon. / CDF