• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Hogs raisers from Negros Occidental have resorted to the delivery of live pigs to Metro Manila, after the entry of hogs and pork related products from the province was banned by Cebu, disclosed Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson yesterday.
Lacson said the price of live hogs in Manila is cheaper by P20 per kilo, compared to provinces in Visayas, where they are usually sold.
Hog raisers sought the help of Lacson to ask Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, to allow even just the passage of hog shipments bound for Eastern Visayas, from Negros through Cebu.
Garcia has yet to reply to the letter of Lacson requesting to lift the ban, as Negros Occidental is confirmed to remain African Swine Fever free.
Since March 7, Lacson said Negros Occidental hog raisers have shipped 1,100 heads to Metro Manila, despite cheaper prices.
Affected weekly by the ASF ban issued by Cebu is an estimated P18 million worth of hogs and frozen food from Negros Occidental bound for various areas in Visayas and Mindanao.
Negros Occidental and Bacolod City have also banned the entry of live pigs and pork related products from Cebu, after the confirmed detection of ASF cases in Carcar City.*
