Quezon City has ordered the temporary shutdown of 14 lechon restaurants in the famed La Loma strip after veterinary inspectors found hogs kept on-site were infected with African swine fever (ASF), a virus deadly to pigs and ruinous to business.
City veterinary authorities, working with the Bureau of Animal Industry, immediately ordered the culling of all hogs in affected establishments to contain the spread. The local government also began disinfecting infected zones and set up checkpoints to regulate swine movement in and out of La Loma, long considered the country’s unofficial roast-pig capital.
Mayor Joy Belmonte’s team met with lechon business owners to enforce strict health and safety protocols and to chart a path toward recovery for an industry that has drawn tourists, foodies, and loyal patrons for decades. City officials emphasized that public safety comes first — but restoring confidence in La Loma’s signature product is a close second.
The timing is tough for a district that built its identity around the crackling-skin centerpiece of Filipino festivities. Every third Sunday of May since 2000, La Loma has staged the “Parada ng mga Lechon,” a flamboyant procession of decorated roast pigs that cemented its status as a food-tourism icon and earned it the title “Lechon Capital of the Philippines.”
For now, the coals have gone cold. But QC officials and business owners say the aim is swift containment, swift cleanup, and an even swifter return to La Loma’s smoky, savory normal.
