Gwen fears Labella’s lifting of pork ban would endanger Cebu’s P11B hog industry

CEBU CITY, Philippines —With the current public health crisis, a possible viral infection among livestock will be another daunting challenge for Cebu

So said Governor Gwendolyn Garcia as she expressed hope that Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella will reconsider his decision to allow the entry of pork products from Mindanao in view of the African Swine Fever cases in the region.

Garcia, in a virtual press briefer this afternoon, May 4, 2020, said it would be another huge challenge for both the city and the province if the ASF virus that has already reached Mindanao will breach the province.

“Medyo nabalaka gyud ta kay nag-atubang na ta aning coronavirus nga challenge unya lisod kaayo nga moatubang na sad ta sa possible nga infection sa ASF,” Garcia said.

Last April 28, Labella signed Executive Order no. 72 lifting the city’s restrictions against the entry of hogs, pork-related products, and by-products from Mindanao.

“I really, really hope that Mayor Labella will reconsider because we are already facing an enormous challenge. Let us focus our energies usa aning atong giatubamg ron nga problema nga COVID-19,” Garcia said.

“We were worried of the possible entry of pork from Mindanao nga possible kini na-infected sad ug naay ASF. So, nag-atubang na tag virus sa tawo, mag-atubang pa ta og virus sa baboy,” she added.

Although Labella’s executive order only covers the entry of pork products into the city through the ports within his jurisdiction, Garcia said it would still endanger the hog industry since Cebu City and the rest of the province still belong to one island.

Garcia said the ban on the entry of pork products from the ASF-infected areas is to protect the P11-billion hog industry in Cebu that might be endangered if ASF would plague the province since the hog disease, so far, has a 100 percent mortality rate.

Last February, Garcia imposed a 90-day total ban against the entry of hogs and pork products from Mindanao following the confirmation of ASF infection in the Davao region.

The governor said she is even planning to indefinitely extend the ban on the entry of pork and pork-related products from Mindanao which would have supposedly ended next Monday, May 11.

The province also has a standing ban on pork and pork-related products from Luzon and Eastern Visayas, still due to ASF, until June /rcg