Gwen signs order to ban pork, pork related products from Davao Region

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Pork and pork related products from the Davao Region (Region 11) in Mindanao shall no longer be allowed to enter Cebu effective today, February 3, 2020.

Governor Gwendolyn Garcia signed Executive Order no. 4, series of 2020, putting into effect the ban of pork products from the provinces Davao Oriental, Davao Occidental, Davao Del Sur, Davao del Norte and Davao de Oro (formerly Compostela Valley).

Also included in the ban are meat products that are commingled or stored in the same facility with the banned pork items.

The ban stemmed from the reported outbreak of the African Swine Fever (ASF), which first plagued provinces in Luzon, in Davao Occidental.

Read: Cebu governor may extend pork ban beyond June 30

Don Marcelino, Davao Occidental Mayor Michael Maruya, in a January 31, 2020 memorandum, said the ASF situation in his town has already resulted to the death of about 1,000 hogs.

Cebu province has already imposed a total ban against the entry of pork and pork related products from Luzom provinces when an outbreak was confirmed in September 2019.

Aside from Luzon provinces, Cebu also announced earlier last January the banning of the entry of pork and pork products from Region 8, or Western Visayas, because the provinces there have lifted their ban against the entry of pork from Luzon.

Garcia, in an interview on Monday morning, February 3, said she is not keen yet on imposing the ban to the whole of Mindanao. /bmjo