The Philippines may be just weeks away from rolling out a long-anticipated African swine fever (ASF) vaccine, according to Agriculture Secretary Francisco “Kiko” Tiu Laurel Jr.
In a recent radio interview, Tiu Laurel said the ASF vaccine is currently under third-party review, followed by evaluation by the country’s pharmaceutical regulators. “If the answer or the feedback of the third-party experts that we used is positive, maybe we could release it by the third quarter,” he stated, based on published translations.
Since ASF was first detected in the country in 2019, it has devastated the nation’s pork industry, wiping out more than a third of the swine herd. Officials estimate it could take more than two years to rebuild the population, which previously stood at around 14 million pigs.
The virus has now been reported in nearly all of the country’s 82 provinces, making biosecurity and vaccination critical components in the national recovery strategy.
This development could have ripple effects across global markets. The U.S. exported 60,259 metric tons of pork and pork variety meats to the Philippines in 2024—a 19% increase year-over-year—totaling over $120 million in value. The potential vaccine rollout could boost long-term stability in the Philippine pork sector while creating a more predictable trading environment for American exporters.
Swine Web will continue to monitor and report on ASF developments in Southeast Asia.
