By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga
Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson appealed to Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia to allow shipments of pork and pork products from Negros bound for Eastern Visayas to pass through Cebu province.
Lacson said he had received a call from Rey dela Rama, one of the local hog raisers group leaders in Negros Occidental, requesting if the provincial government could intervene.
“I have already written a letter addressed to Governor Garcia, requesting kun pwede ma-lift ang executive order niya, considering nga Negros has not been declared as an African swine fever (ASF) red zone,” Lacson said.
He said it has become a challenge for the provincial government as Negros is now surrounded by provinces with ASF cases.
This comes after Garcia issued an executive order on Monday, March 6, temporarily banning the entry of live hogs, sows, piglets, boar semen, pork, and pork-related products to Cebu province from March 6 to April 5, 2023, after an ASF case was reported in Carcar City.
ASF-infected hogs mingled with pigs that allegedly originated from Negros.
Lacson said he has already issued a joint executive order on Tuesday, March 7, banning the entry of pork products coming from Cebu province, including Bantayan and Camotes islands.
“Due to this recent development, it is highly imperative to protect the local hog industry of the province, being one of the leading producers of hogs in the country, against the serious threat of ASF,” the order said.
He said there are “many” local swine industries that will be affected by the ban imposed by the Cebu provincial government.
He also suggested to the hog farmers sending their shipments to Manila as an alternative, but they complained that the current pricing for pork there is very low.
“[We understand] that businessmen will always look for a better income, so I don’t have the exact figure. Maybe in a week’s time, we will be able to see a better picture of what it’s like,” Lacson said.
Earlier, Negros Occidental provincial administrator Atty. Rayfrando Diaz also urged Garcia to reconsider the latter’s ban on pork products from Negros Island.
He added that there are now growing concerns among local swine producers, especially those who are shipping their products to Eastern Visayas.
“It’s just like blaming others for your mistake. That is a fallacy for me. Unless and until the BAI [Bureau of Animal Industry] and the DA [Department of Agriculture] issue a certification that Negros is indeed infected with ASF, there’s no reason for impairment or restriction of transportation of basic goods such as this. These are food products,” Diaz said.
“This is a matter of food security in other provinces,” he added.
Negros Occidental is one of the top backyard hog producers in the country, with an industry pegged at more than P6 billion.
The province remained ASF-free due to its strict biosecurity protocols implemented late last year.
Aside from Cebu, the total ban on the entry of pork-related items to Negros Occidental and Bacolod City includes the entire Luzon, Mindanao, Eastern Visayas, and Panay and Guimaras islands./DGB, WDJ