Mindanao may keep banning pork products from ASF-hit Luzon
At least 19 local government units (LGUs) in Mindanao have already banned the entry of pork and processed pork products from African swine fever (ASF)-affected Luzon.
Former Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol, who is now the Mind
anao Development Authority (MinDA) chair, revealed this, saying more and more local government chief executives in Mindanao have been issuing executive orders (EO) banning the entry of pork and processed pork products from areas affected by the ASF.
Among the LGUs in Mindanao who have already banned the entry of pork and processed pork products from Luzon are Davao City, Agusan del Norte, Bukidnon, Compostela Valley, General Santos City, Surigao City, Dinagat Island, Tagum City, Zamboanga City, Cagayan de Oro, among others.
Piñol said the move, supported by the region’s private sector, was made “to protect the island's multi-billion peso hog industry and thousands of backyard hog farmers.”
A computer-generated map designed by MinDA showed that as of October 25, only a few provinces, with the exception of the Muslim provinces under Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), have not issued Eos banning the entry.
“Earlier, meat processors based in Luzon succeeded in convincing national agencies to allow the shipment of processed pork from Luzon as long as these carried certification from the Department of Agriculture [DA],” Piñol said.
Secretary Eduardo Año of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) had earlier ordered LGUs in Visayas and Mindanao to allow the entry of processed meat products from Luzon provided that they carry all the necessary permits.
“This assurance, however, was repudiated by reports that processed pork coming from a reputable company intended for shipment to Mindoro, tested positive for ASF virus,” he added.
The products – mostly hotdogs, longganisa, and tocino – were packed in a small container and was later on seized and tested by the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI).
In the Visayas, Bacolod, Bohol, and Cebu are just some of the areas have issued a ban on pork products from Luzon.
Last week, there were reports that LGUs in Cebu, one of the provinces that banned the entry of meat products coming from Luzon, are planning to deny the order of the DILG.
As for Bohol, Gov. Arthur Yap said he is willing to open his province to all hog-related products if there is a guarantee letter from the DA that the national government will compensate Boholano backyard raisers in case ASF strikes.
“It is really very simple and uncomplicated. Please tell the DA, I am willing to open up Bohol tomorrow to all hog-related products from Luzon as long as I have a guarantee letter that the government will compensate Bohol for the culling and disposal of affected dead hogs from ASF and that my backyard raisers will be compensated properly and immediately upon proof of damages, if and when, ASF gets to Bohol,” Yap said.
“If that can be reflected in the budget and the DA will give me a signed guarantee with a mechanism releasing the payment for compensation, then we are ready to open up Bohol. Until that time, I hope people understand that under the General Welfare clause of our laws and my powers under the Local Government Code, I am dutybound to protect my constituents from harm and damages to life and property. No need to be emotional, get personal, or be sensitive about the matter,” he added.
ASF, a fatal animal disease among hogs, is now in seven areas in Luzon, namely: Cavite, Quezon City, Pangasinan, Bulacan, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, and Rizal.
The virus has already resulted in the death and culling of as many as 62,200 hogs, still representing less than one percent of the country’s total hog population of more than 12 million hogs.