Cebu province passes ordinance against unauthorized hog culling

CEBU, Philippines – The Cebu provincial government can now impose penalties on government officials and employees who fail to consult with local authorities before implementing hog culling and other national policies aimed to prevent the spread of the African swine fever (ASF).

The Cebu Provincial Board (PB) approved in a special session on Tuesday, April 11, two ordinances supporting the stand of Governor Gwendolyn Garcia to block programs of the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) against ASF, including the ironfisted culling of hundreds of hogs.

Violators of the new ordinance face fines of P5,000 and imprisonment.

Previously, the provincial government filed administrative complaints before the Office of the Ombudsman against officials and staff of the BAI and Department of Agriculture (DA) in Central Visayas for endorsing the culling of hogs.

“The PB has authorized Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia to undertake the necessary steps to protect the interests of the Province in relation to the regulations and policies implemented by the Bureau of Animal Industry concerning the ASF,” Cebu Vice Governor Junjun Davide said in a statement.

The ordinance includes mobilizing of local government units and police for the protection of pigs and pork-related products affected by the hog-culling and color-coding scheme of the BAI.

The provincial government’s legal team announced recently that it would file more cases, which include graft and corruption complaints, after BAI announced 10 new ASF-marked red zones in the province.

According to Davide, the PB also approved an ordinance that adopted Garcia’s Executive Order No. 10, Series of 2023.

Both measures were authored by PB Member Victoria Corominas-Toribio. The governor certified the proposals as “urgent”.

The said ordinance establishes biosecurity and control measures for the prevention of ASF and other swine diseases within the province’s territory. It includes prohibiting the culling of hogs outside of slaughterhouses, which is stated in Garcia’s EO.

LGUs of the province are required to have Barangay Swine Fever Task Force (BSF-TF) which would be responsible for monitoring and reporting ASF cases to municipal or city veterinarians.

The ordinance also mandated the establishment of isolation facilities for ASF-suspected hogs, and mandatory disinfection of pig pens, slaughterhouses, and vehicles used for transporting pigs.

On March 22, Garcia issued Memorandum No. 8-2023, allowing only trained municipal or city agriculturists or veterinarians to test pigs with ASF symptoms.–Rappler.com