BAGUIO CITY — The Provincial Government of Kalinga has issued an Executive Order (EO) banning the entry of hogs, poultry, and certain by-products into the province.

This order aims to halt the spread of the African Swine Fever (ASF) and Avian Influenza (AI) viruses and follows recent reports from the Department of Agriculture (DA), through the Bureau of Animal Industry-Animal Disease Diagnosis and Reference Laboratory (BAI-ADDRL), confirming infections in several provinces across the country.

According to DA, ASF has been reported in La Union, Bulacan, Tarlac, Batangas, Laguna, Quezon, Rizal, Marinduque, Occidental and Oriental Mindoro, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, Aklan, Cebu, Negros Oriental, Zamboanga del Sur, North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Agusan del Sur, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, and Basilan. The DA also reported ASF cases from July to August this year in the provinces of Abra, Cagayan, Isabela, and Nueva Vizcaya.

On 9 August, the BAI-ADDRL reported cases of AI infections in the municipalities of Candaba and Mexico in Pampanga, the municipality of La Trinidad in Benguet, and the municipalities of San Antonio and Talavera in Nueva Ecija.

Kalinga Governor James Edduba, in the EO, stated that it is imperative to employ immediate measures to prevent the spread of animal diseases like ASF and AI to safeguard the livelihoods of hog and poultry raisers and the health of the swine and poultry industries in the province. The governor also noted that in the event these diseases are detected in other areas, a temporary ban on the entry of hog and poultry products and by-products from those areas will also be imposed, even without the issuance of another EO.

The provincial government, through the EO, has enjoined the Philippine National Police, the DA, and other concerned agencies to guard the provincial borders of Kalinga for the strict implementation of the order. Local Government Units (LGUs) and agricultural offices in the different municipalities of Kalinga were directed to conduct information and education campaigns in their localities to raise awareness about these animal diseases among their constituents.