CEBU CITY — Every shipment of hogs or pork headed for Cebu now needs a full set of veterinary papers, and live hogs may enter only on their way to a slaughterhouse, under Executive Order No. 55 signed by Governor Pamela Baricuatro.
The order, dated Oct. 26, 2026 and effective immediately, says it aims to protect what it describes as Cebu's ₱20-billion hog industry from African swine fever (ASF). It notes that ASF outbreaks are still being recorded on Negros Island and in other provinces.
At a glance
- Order: Executive Order No. 55, series of 2026, dated Oct. 26, 2026; in force until revoked or amended
- Covers: live hogs, pork and processed pork products entering Cebu
- Live hogs: only for delivery to an NMIS-accredited slaughterhouse in Cebu for lechon preparation; no breeding, no resale
- Entry points: official ports with veterinary quarantine officers only
- Noncompliant cargo: confiscated and forfeited, or returned to its point of origin
- Surveillance: 24 Cebu LGUs hold the Bureau of Animal Industry's Recognition of Active Surveillance on ASF
The papers every shipment needs
A shipment must carry a shipping permit from the Bureau of Animal Industry's veterinary quarantine service; a veterinary health certificate concurred in by the provincial veterinarian of the place of origin; laboratory results showing negative ASF RT-PCR findings; and meat inspection certificates from facilities accredited by the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS).
It must also have a disinfection certificate for the transport vehicle, a livestock handler's permit from the Department of Agriculture, Food and Drug Administration registration documents for pork products, and certification of the NMIS-accredited slaughterhouse in Cebu where live hogs will be delivered.
What this means for Negros Oriental
For hog raisers and traders in Negros Oriental, from Dumaguete to Bais and Bayawan, any shipment bound for Cebu must now carry that full set of documents and arrive through an official port where quarantine officers can inspect it. The order itself names Negros Island among the places where ASF outbreaks are still being recorded.
It follows earlier Cebu orders that targeted the region directly. On July 7, Baricuatro signed Executive Order No. 39, a 45-day ban on live hogs and pork products from the Negros Island Region and other ASF-affected provinces. Executive Order No. 44, signed Aug. 20, extended that ban for another 45 days.
Who enforces it
The order directs component local government units, the Cebu Port Authority, the Philippine Coast Guard and the Philippine National Police to enforce the requirements at seaports, airports and land checkpoints. Where cargo is intercepted, the city or town mayor decides whether it is confiscated or sent back, in coordination with the Regional Veterinary Quarantine Service.
Local governments must keep up ASF surveillance and laboratory testing through their veterinarians and agriculturists, with support from Barangay Animal Health Aides, and run public advisories against buying or transporting hogs and pork from ASF-affected areas. All component LGUs must also pass or update their ASF ordinances to align with Provincial Ordinance No. 2025-12; the order makes this a condition for keeping or revising their ASF status under Bureau of Animal Industry zoning guidelines.
Background
In early October, the governor warned against illegal hog movement as authorities investigated how ASF reached Ginatilan, where the virus was confirmed in two barangays. EO 55 states that an isolated ASF case in one southern Cebu town was swiftly contained, and it revokes or modifies all earlier executive issuances inconsistent with it.
Photo credit: Photo courtesy of Cebu Provincial Capitol