Ihawan facilities dysfunctional but…

THE Local Economic Enterprise Office (LEEO) told the Iloilo City Council that the slaughterhouse is in a sorry state because of wear and tear.

LEEO head Jose Ariel Castañeda faced the council on August 17, 2018 to give updates on the current state of the slaughterhouse and public markets in the city.

The hearing was triggered by the August 8 privilege speech of Councilor Armand Parcon who expressed dismay on the conditions of the abattoir and the markets.

Parcon pointed out the poor condition of the multimillion-peso slaughterhouse, which has yet to secure a certification from the national government.

Castañeda admitted that some of the facilities and equipment in the slaughterhouse are dysfunctional due to prolonged use.

“The wear and tear of the facilities are very fast-paced since these are operating 364 days a year,” he said.

Despite catering to around 150 hogs and 20 large animals every day, the city slaughterhouse lacks certification from the national government due to poor structural and technical facilities.

Nevertheless, Castañeda assured that slaughterhouse operations remain smooth.

“Even though we had problems in other machines, our people, through manual labor, were able to do the slaughtering of hogs,” said Castañeda.

He also reported that in 2016, the LEEO purchased two new boilers, which are fully functioning until now. The boilers are used to scald and skin slaughtered animals.

“It is very well-functioning and it was inspected by NMIS technician this July, and they were impressed,” he added.

Castañeda also reiterated the need to rehabilitate the slaughterhouse and to revisit the ordinance mandating its management.

According to Castañeda, it may take a while to purchase new equipment since the trust fund, which was originally suggested by the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) and Department of Agriculture (DA) to set aside for the slaughterhouse, was reverted to the general fund because the Commission on Audit (COA) ruled that it has no legal basis.

“One of the restraining factors for the purchases and maintenance of the facilities and equipment in the slaughterhouse is the limitations set forth by the procurement law,” he said.

Recently, the City Engineer’s Office submitted the master plan for the Iloilo city slaughterhouse development, which included the mechanical, electrical, civil works, site development, and the required machinery.

Based on the master plan, the rehabilitation of the slaughterhouse will cost more or less P100 million, excluding the sewage treatment plant, drainage area, additional equipment, and improvement of the vicinity.

“The purpose of the master plan is to propose for the rehabilitation that will earn the abattoir a triple-A standard. But I assure you that without that master plan, we can still continue servicing the regular customers,” he noted.

But Councilor Armand Parcon said the proposed master plan is not yet feasible because of the budget cycle. He said the funds might be included in the 2020 budget.

Castañeda said that if there are enough funds to start the rehabilitation in 2019, the facility could secure the accreditation by 2020.

He also assured that despite the delay in rehabilitation, the slaughterhouse can still supply meat to consumers.

“We can assure you that we may be able to serve customers with the same commitment and we will be able to repair scalding vat and de-hairing machine in due time, courtesy of the surplus that we have acquired in 2017 worth P6.7 million,” he added.

But until the slaughterhouse is rehabilitated, it cannot be issued the certification standards set by the Department of Agriculture (DA) which supposedly ensures quality and safe meat sold to consumers.

Under Executive Order No. 137, the NMIS shall (based on established standards for production, plans, designs, and specifications) classify and accredit slaughterhouses in accordance with the following:

1) “AAA” certification indicates that meat can be transported and sold in any market, domestic or international.

2) “AA” certification indicates that meat can be transported and sold outside the host locality.

3) “A” certification indicates that meat is suitable for distribution and sale within a city or town where the slaughterhouse is located.

SOURCE: The Daily Guardian