EDITORIAL - Cebu will always be at risk from ASF

There has been no case of African Swine Fever (ASF) in Cebu. As the provincial government moved to ban the entry of swine and pork products into the province, Capitol officials hope Cebu will remain free from the virus.

But how safe is Cebu from ASF? No one knows, of course. With Cebu being composed of islands and considering the many entry points mushrooming from south to north, there’s always a high chance hogs and related products infected with virus can penetrate the province.

 Despite moves to heighten the ban, there are always unscrupulous individuals trying to outclass authorities in their bid to smuggled hogs. That is why there is a need to intensified monitoring at ports and other entry points.

However, the ban cannot go on forever because it can, in the long run, take toll on the country’s swine industry. In fact, the Department of Agriculture has appealed to the provincial governments of Cebu and Bohol to reconsider their ban on hogs and pork products from Luzon.

"In these trying times, particularly in protecting our shores from the challenges of major diseases such as the ASF, we appeal for unity and brotherhood among our countrymen, most particularly our local chief executives,” Dar said.

The secretary added that such “hard position could create repercussions, where other provinces may retaliate by cutting off the food stocks to and from Cebu and Bohol. We would not like that to happen — isolating and depriving each other from the basic right to food.”

But it seems Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia is not giving in to the DA’s request. She said the ban is necessary to protect the province from the virus, which already killed scores in some provinces in Luzon.

We don’t know if lifting the ban will affect Cebu’s P10 billion hog industry. But given the lack of monitoring along coastal areas, the province will always be at risk from ASF.