Gwen: Cebu has excess pork supply

CEBU CITY, Philippines — With the decrease in the demand for pork amid the enhanced community quarantine, Governor Gwendolyn Garcia said there is enough, even an excess, in the supply of the meat for Cebu.

Garcia, reacting to Mayor Edgardo Labella’s move to lift the ban on the entry of pork products from Mindanao, said Cebu officials should first look into the welfare of local hog raisers before allowing other traders to come in.

Cebu’s ban on the entry of hogs, pork, and pork-related products from Mindanao began last February following the confirmation of African Swine Fever (ASF) infection in the areas in the Davao region.

READ: Authorities struggle to contain ASF in Davao City, Davao del Sur towns

With Mindanao being mostly one island, Garcia said the spread of the virus to other areas may not be contained and allowing entry for their pork products in Cebu City may endanger the P11-billion hog industry of the entire Cebu island.

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

“Further, na-worried sad ta kay duna man tay kaugalingon nga hog industry dinhi kung diin gani, sobra ang stocks, ang supply,” Garcia said.

(We are further worried because we have our own hog industry in Cebu wherein we have excess in local supplies.)

“Kay nikanaog ang demand, daghan kaayo tag stock sa atong kaugalingon nga hog raisers. Ining panahon sa coronavirus nga lisod kaayo ng negosyo, unahon nato og tabang kaysa sila didto sa gawas ang atong tugtan nga magbaligya sa ilang baboy,” the governor added.

(The demand has decreased so there is so much supply of pork from our own hog raisers. In this time of coronavirus where businesses are really in pain, let us help our own raisers first before we let others sell their pork products.)

Aside from Mindanao, Cebu also has a standing ban on the entry of hogs, pork, and pork-related products from Luzon due to the spread of ASF cases there. Pork from Eastern Visayas is also barred from entering Cebu as local government units in this region is allowing the entry of pork from Luzon.

Garcia, who met with local pork producers on Monday, May 4, 2020, also said she has been assured by the Central Visayas Pork Producers Cooperative (CeViPPCo) that reports of pork being out of stock in supermarkets as early as 2 p.m. every day is not because of shortage but because of the grocery stores high sales.

“I have asked the Cebu pork producers nga mag-update sa volumes nga i-deliver. Ila nang paninguhaon gyud nga dili mo-run out of stocks,” Garcia said.

READ: Labella urged: Follow Capitol’s lead in pork ban of ASF areas

The governor added that she hopes Mayor Labella will reconsider his decision to allow the entry of pork products in Mindanao.

The Cebu City council, in a special session on Monday, also requested the mayor to adopt the provincial government’s measure against the entry of pork products from ASF-infected areas to prevent the entry and spread of the hog disease here. /bmjo