Cebu ASF Task Force strengthens monitoring in sea, airports in 2020

The Cebu provincial government is imposing a total ban on pork and pork products coming from Luzon and Eastern Visayas. | Inquirer.net File Photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The 12 seaports in Cebu City and province will be the focus of the monitoring of the African Swine Fever Task Force in preventing the entry of the contagious among hogs disease in the province this 2020.

Provincial Veterinarian and ASF Task Force head Dr. Mary Rose Vincoy said their ports of focus include those that have trips coming from areas in Eastern Visayas.

The 12 seaports include the Piers 1, 2, 4 and 4 in Cebu City; Ouano and Labogon Wharfs in Mandaue City; the ports in Danao City, Pulambato in Bogo City and Carmen,  all in the mainland in northern Cebu; and Tudela, Pilar and Poro towns on Camotes Island.

These ports service trips bound to and from Catbalogan and Calbayog cities in Samar; Ormoc, Isabel, Palompon, San Isidro, Villaba, Bato, Hilongos, Hindang, and Baybay in Leyte; and the city of Maasin in Southern Leyte.

Last December 17, 2019, Governor Gwendolyn Garcia expanded the coverage of the province pork entry ban from areas in Luzon to include the entire Eastern Visayas.

According to the EO, products from Eastern Visayas may pose a threat against the local hog industry as the towns there may serve as a transshipment point for Luzon pork products that want to enter the province.

The province has imposed a total ban against the entry of pork and pork-related products from Luzon since September 2019 due to the ASF situation in the provinces there.

“I’m not sure when the Department of Agriculture will update their report to the World Organization for Animal Health [regarding the status of ASF], but definitely, there will be an update soon,” Vincoy said.

Eastern Visayas provinces have initially imposed a ban against Luzon pork products. However, the effectivity of their pork ban executive orders have mostly elapsed in December 2019 or will elapse this month, January 2020.

Cebu’s EO against pork products from Luzon is effective until June 30, 2020.

Vincoy said they have also asked the Regional Veterinary Quarantine Office (RVQO-7) at the Mactan Cebu International Airport to strengthen the monitoring of meat products that may be carried as airfreights.

“Naa na man na silay mga protocol nga they have to pass through x-ray and i-open once they find out nga naay mga meat. But we should not be complacent ana nga areas ug striktohon gihapon,” Vincoy said.

(They already have their own protocol that cargoes have to pass through an x-ray machine and it must be opened if it contains meat but we should not be complacent and remain strict in the handling of cargoes.)

Since the ASF Task Force was convened last August 2019, Vincoy said 5.4 tons or P1.4 million worth of Luzon-sourced pork products have already been confiscated from supermarkets, wet markets and ports in Cebu City.

At least P3 million worth of pork products were also confiscated in the ports and markets in the towns while 191 heads of hogs have been shipped back to their ports of origin./elb