Mayor Ella Celestina Garcia-Yulo issued an executive order on Monday, June 22, strictly prohibiting the illegal and unauthorized selling of imported meat and meat products within Moises Padilla, Negros Occidental.
Executive Order No. 293, Series of 2026, comes in response to reported incidents of illegal trading, technical smuggling, and the rampant selling of imported meat products in local public markets, satellite markets, and online channels without the required quarantine certificates.
As a designated “pink zone” actively enforcing preventive measures against transboundary animal diseases like African Swine Fever (ASF), the municipality enacted the order to safeguard the local hog and livestock industries, as well as public health, the mayor said.
Under Section 2 of the executive order, it is now unlawful for any individual or entity to offer for sale, distribute, or sell imported meat and meat products within Moises Padilla without the required documentation and permits.
Specifically, the order bans the selling and improper handling of imported meat without a valid Certificate of Meat Inspection (COMI) issued by the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS), or without a valid Business Permit or Mayor’s Permit from the Municipality of Moises Padilla.
The order also prohibits selling expired, undocumented, or sourced imported meat from countries and regions banned by the Department of Agriculture (DA) due to disease outbreaks, as well as selling thawed or mishandled frozen meat as fresh meat outside of temperature-controlled, sanitary stalls and cold storage.
To ensure compliance, all meat vendors, distributors, and consolidators engaging in these sales must possess and present a COMI for domestic transport, an SPS Import Clearance issued by the DA, and local business, health, and veterinary clearances upon inspection.
To enforce these regulations, Section 4 of the order mandates the creation of a Municipal Task Force to strictly monitor public markets, supermarkets, and private warehouses.
This Monitoring and Apprehension Task Force is composed of representatives from the Municipal Agriculture Office (MAO), Municipal Health Office (MHO), Municipal Police Station (PNP), Municipal Economic Enterprise and Development Office (MEEDO), and Barangay Official Representatives from 15 barangays.
Under Section 5, any imported meat or meat products found displayed or sold without the requisite COMI, SPS Clearance, and permits will be immediately confiscated by the task force.
These confiscated products will then be subjected to immediate condemnation and disposal at the municipal designated disposal facility to prevent any threat to public health and the local livestock population, the mayor said.
The executive order took effect immediately upon its signing on Monday, June 22.*
