GUIMARAS — The Provincial Government of Guimaras has imposed a temporary ban on the entry of live hogs, swine, pork, pork products, and by-products from African Swine Fever (ASF)-infected areas to protect the province’s livestock industry from the highly contagious disease.
Gov. Lucille Nava signed an executive order on June 26 directing the immediate implementation of the ban, along with stricter border control, veterinary quarantine, and food safety measures to keep Guimaras free from ASF.
The order was issued following a memorandum from the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) on the zoning status of regions under the National Zoning and Movement Plan for ASF as of June 5, 2026. The memorandum identified several municipalities in Western Visayas, the Negros Island Region, and other areas outside Guimaras as red zones, or areas with confirmed ASF cases.
Based on the BAI classification, the municipality of Nueva Valencia was placed under the yellow zone, or high-risk category, while the province’s remaining municipalities continue to be classified as pink zones, or ASF-free areas.
Nava said the temporary ban is necessary to prevent the introduction of ASF into the province and to safeguard the local swine industry.
Under the executive order, the entry of live pigs, swine, raw or uncooked pork, pork products, and by-products—whether fresh, frozen, or processed—as well as hog vans and livestock transport vehicles from red-zone areas in the Negros Island Region, Western Visayas, and other ASF-affected localities is prohibited.
The order also requires operators and drivers transporting animal feeds, poultry, day-old chicks, ready-to-lay pullets, table eggs, and similar commodities from outside the province to present a Certificate of Disinfection issued by the appropriate authority before entering Guimaras.
Meanwhile, the transport of hogs and swine between municipalities within Guimaras will only be allowed with authorization from the destination local government unit and must be accompanied by a valid Certificate of Disinfection issued by the municipality of origin. Vehicles transporting hogs within the province must also undergo proper disinfection before movement.
The executive order further prohibits the transport, sale, distribution, or movement outside the barangay of origin of hogs, swine, raw or uncooked pork, pork products, and by-products originating from barangays with suspected or confirmed ASF cases or other contagious swine diseases until the restrictions are lifted by the appropriate authorities.
To ensure strict enforcement, the governor directed the Philippine National Police, Guimaras Police Provincial Office, Philippine Coast Guard, Provincial Law Enforcement and Public Safety Task Force, Provincial Office for Agricultural Services, Provincial Veterinary Services Office, and municipal governments to intensify border control operations, veterinary quarantine procedures, and food safety inspections.
The agencies were also authorized to conduct regular and random checkpoints and implement other lawful measures to ensure that Guimaras remains free from African Swine Fever./PN
