CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu Province’s task force against African Swine Fever (ASF) is back at reminding stores and traders that all pork products from Luzon are banned from entering the province.
Provincial Veterinarian Dr. Mary Rose Vincoy said the recent pronouncements of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) that reportedly urged local government units ( LGUs) to lift the ban on the entry if these products have caused confusion among local meat and meat product traders.
“Recently, because of the pronouncement of the DILG, giingnan sila sa ilang mga suppliers nga na-lift na kuno ang ban. Mao nang nagdisplay sila og balik kay wala na man unta to na,” Vincoy said in an interview on Thursday, October 24, 2019.
(Because of the pronouncement of the DILG, their suppliers told them that the ban was lifted already. That’s why they’re back at displaying.)
The Cebu Provincial government in September issued Executive Order no. 16, which banned the entry of live hogs, pork and pork-related goods from provinces in Luzon and the 22 countries that have confirmed cases of ASF.
Read more: Cebu bans hogs from Luzon, processed pork products from Bulacan and Rizal
Read more: Cebu province imposes total ban vs hogs, pork products from Luzon
Last week, Interior and Local Government secretary Eduardo Año issued statements urging the 56 LGUs in the Visayas and Mindanao to ban pork from Luzon.
Governor Gwendolyn Garcia earlier stood pat that the province will maintain the ban to protect its P10.9-billion hog industry.
In a separate interview on Thursday, October 24, 2019, Garcia said she has already reached out to Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Michael Lloyd Dino about the concern on the pork ban.
She said that Dino supports her decision and position in retaining the ban and that the latter is set to communicate with Año with regards to his advice to LGUs to lift the ban.
Meanwhile, the ASF TF, on Wednesday, October 23, apprehended over P12,000 worth of pork and canned pork products in Toledo City and Moalboal.
Vincoy said they have yet to trace the source of these products since authorities have been on continuous monitoring in the different ports to prevent its entry in the province.
She said the items may have been remnants of those that were previously pulled out from the supermarkets. /bmjo