TOTAL REVAMP: LEEO chief wants review of slaughterhouse ordinance

SOURCE: The Daily Guardian

REHABILITATING the Iloilo City slaughterhouse will not be enough to upgrade its services and earn accreditation from the Department of Agriculture (DA).

Ariel Castañeda, Local Economic Enterprise Office (LEEO) head, said he wants a review and amendments to the ordinance governing the operations and maintenance of the slaughterhouse.

In an interview with The Daily Guardian On Air over Aksyon Radyo-Iloilo on Aug 4, 2018,

Castañeda said standards on slaughterhouse operations have evolved through the years.

Currently, the city is implementing the Iloilo City Market and Slaughterhouse Code of 2009.

“There should really be a review of the relevance of the ordinance based on the present needs. Aside from the Meat Safety Act, we need to incorporate environmental compliance as well as climate change adaptation. We have to incorporate all these in the new ordinance,” he said.

Castañeda said he has been constantly meeting with Councilor Mandrie Malabor, chairman of the Committee on Markets and Slaughterhouse, for the updating of the existing slaughterhouse ordinance.

He said Malabor is set to bring up his concern to the City Council soon.

Castañeda said that when he took over his post three years ago, the slaughterhouse has been beset with organizational problems and poor facilities.

He said the daily production of the facility is not enough to cater to the needs of the household.

Based on his hypothetical calculation, the city, excluding commercial needs, consumes two tons of meat daily or half a kilo per household.

“Our production is not even one ton,” he said.

Castañeda said they are now in the process of implementing the master plan for the city abattoir which is estimated to cost at least P150 million.

“The National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) has already inspected the slaughterhouse three times as well as Department of Agriculture assistant secretary Hansel Didulo and they agreed in unison that there really is a need to rehabilitate. And they even suggested to incorporate several things in the plan,” he said.

Castañeda and City Councilor Ed Peñaredondo also sought the help of experts from the University of the Philippines College of Management to improve the slaughterhouse.

A trust fund is also being proposed which will be used to respond to the immediate needs of the slaughterhouse.

While it has yet to achieve a Double-A classification, the LEEO head said the city abattoir is the cleanest in Iloilo.

“However, the city and the province need an abattoir with a Double-A standard in order to compel the neighboring municipalities to upgrade their slaughterhouses. And we will have a basis to impose regulation in the market to not accept meat which came from substandard slaughterhouses,” he said.

He also lamented lost business opportunities and investment due to the low standards of the slaughterhouse.

He said the city abattoir could process meats from other towns if its facilities follow the standards. Also, livestock growers can process their meat products in the city for the local and international markets Castañeda said the private sector also showed interest in operating and rehabilitating the city slaughterhouse.

But the LEEO head expressed confidence that the improvement of the facility, through small steps, will soon be realized.

Meanwhile, Castañeda welcomed the decision of Iloilo City Mayor Jose Espinosa III to reactivate the Task Force Hot Meat to regulate animals slaughtered in backyards.

He said that since 2016, he has been batting for the revival of the task force as the LEEO does not have jurisdiction over backyard slaughter.

“We do not have authority to run after the ‘talipapa’ (community markets) because the ordinance is boxed in the market. But with a composite team from Task Force Hot Meat, composed of the City Veterinary Office, City Health Office, Iloilo City Police Office, City Treasurer’s Office and the LEEO, we can visit these ‘talipapas,’ he said.

MULTIMILLION-PESO SPENDING

Excluding recent expenses on the slaughterhouse, more or less P83 million was already spent on the construction and upgrading of the slaughterhouse.

In 2012, the upgrading works were funded by P40 million from the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) share of Sen. Franklin Drilon, P31.5 million from the DA’s Agricultural Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (ACEF), and another P11.5 million from the Iloilo City government.

But despite the massive spending, the city abattoir has yet to secure certification from the NMIS.

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:

“AAA” Those with facilities and operational procedures appropriate to slaughter livestock and fowls for sale in any market, domestic or international.

“AA” Those with facilities and operational procedures sufficiently adequate that the livestock and fowls slaughtered therein are suitable for sale in any market domestic or international.

“A” Those with facilities and procedures of minimum adequacy that the livestock and fowls slaughtered therein are suitable for distribution and sale only within the city or municipality where the slaughterhouse is located.