That chicharon from Carcar, sure looks yummy, but you can’t take that to Bohol.
This as Bohol Governor Erico Aristotle C. Aumentado issued Executive Order No. 11 series of 2023, banning the entry of pork products like chicharon, Cebu longganiza, chorizo, lechon, raw pork, live pig, and frozen semen from Cebu to Bohol.
The governor’s measure is in line with keeping Bohol insulated from the dreaded African Swine Fever (ASF), a serious concern that could wipe out the six billion pesos local hog industry.
ASF, a viral disease fatal to the hog population and could be brought to other places by raw or processed meat, when it could slip to Bohol could seriously affect the livelihood of nearly 50,000 backyard hog growers whose income from the industry is their main source for basic necessities.
Earlier, the Provincial Government of Bohol passed Provincial Ordinance No. 2022-011, which revised Provincial Ordinance No. 2021-015 which prohibited the entry of live pig, pork, pork products and frozen semen from ASF-affected areas and provided penalties therefor.
That same ordinance is supported by another measure in Executive Order No. 45 series of 2022 which established the implementing rules and regulations.
As to that ordinance, transporting, carrying, possessing, or importing live pig, pork, pork products, frozen swine semen, swine feeds, and processed porcine animal protein, in whatever quantity coming from or passing through African Swine Fever (ASF) affected areas to Bohol is prohibited.
Any person who violates this Ordinance shall have the illegally smuggled goods confiscated and the person be fined P1,000 for his first offense, P2,500 for the second offense alone with and P5,000 and imprisonment of not more than 6 months at the discretion of the court.
While Central Visayas has remained ASF-free since the animal disease was first officially detected in Luzon in 2021, last March 1, 2023, the Provincial Government of Cebu, in an executive order, said that the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) Animal Disease Diagnostic and Reference Laboratory had confirmed the presence of ASF viral DNA in blood samples from ASF surveillance activities in Carcar City.
This also had the BAI identifying areas in Cebu province as Red Zone, which means infected zone in the latest ASF zoning classification.
Fearing the possible displacement of pork and its processed products or live pigs to Bohol, the governor, exercising the powers expressly granted to him by the Local Government Code of 1991 issues the prohibition on the entry of live pigs, pork, and processed pork products from Cebu and Cebu City to Bohol.
In fact, all transport vehicles and carriers from Cebu can not get to Bohol, as they can only be allowed at the port areas Livestock and poultry carriers are allowed only at the port premises to transfer cargoes not prohibited under the ordinance.
This means consignees of goods from Cebu to Bohol shall bring with them a Bohol based transporter to withdraw the incoming goods as the arriving transporters can not be allowed outside the port premises.
As to imported meat passing through Cebu for Bohol, while these are allowed entry to Bohol, these boxes or packages can only be opened inside the National Meat Inspection Services accredited cold storage facilities in Bohol, prior to their distribution here.
As to the supply of swine feeds, Bohol is set to source them out from other safe areas, to minimize the negative impact on the local supply.
The governor signed the executive order on March 7 and was set to take effect immediately. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)
