Barangay Sapangdaku remains free of African swine fever (ASF), with newly installed checkpoints serving as precautionary measures to prevent the virus from spreading into the mountain community, the Cebu City Department of Veterinary Medicine and Fisheries (DVMF) said.
In a public advisory, the DVMF clarified online reports claiming an active outbreak in the barangay, stressing that the movement controls were not prompted by confirmed local infections.
Dr. Jessica Maribojoc, officer-in-charge city veterinarian, said the checkpoints were established in coordination with law enforcement to prevent the possible entry of the virus from neighboring areas.
The DVMF partnered with Cebu City Police Office Station 9 following a coordination meeting led by Maribojoc and PCPT Gabriel Pasilan Mota.
Since mid-October, joint personnel have manned a checkpoint in Sapangdaku to monitor and regulate the movement of live hogs and processed pork products.
“Kinahanglan nato ang suporta sa kapulisan para mapatuman gyud ang movement control. Ang checkpoint maoy atong frontline defense para dili na mukaylap ang ASF sa ubang barangay,” Maribojoc said.
The heightened monitoring follows confirmed ASF cases in nearby Barangay Pamutan, where 10 hogs tested positive for the virus and died.
Authorities have also submitted blood samples from other swine within a 500-meter radius of the affected area for laboratory testing as contact tracing continues.
Before the Pamutan cases, Cebu City had recorded localized ASF infections in Barangay Quiot in August and Barangay Toong in September.
Veterinary officials suspect that pork products may have moved between neighboring communities during local fiesta celebrations in recent months, although the exact transmission route remains unconfirmed.
Live hogs coming from previously affected areas, including Toong, must present official veterinary clearances showing negative ASF test results before they can cross barangay boundaries.
Meanwhile, provincial authorities have reported that a separate ASF outbreak in Ginatilan, southwestern Cebu, has been contained.
The DVMF urged residents and livestock stakeholders to follow biosecurity measures and transport regulations and rely on official government advisories for updates on the disease.
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