Cebu City execs discuss abattoir issues Monday

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu City Legal Office will hold a “clarificatory” conference with department heads this Monday to address the “serious” allegations against the city abattoir’s operations.

Department heads, particularly those of the Department of Veterinary Medicine and Fisheries, City Treasurer’s Office, City Health Department, Department of Engineering and Public Works, and the City Environment and Natural Resources Office were invited to shed light on the issue.

City Legal Officer Gerone Castillo said the conference is vital to straighten out concerns that the Mandaue City government raised recently.

“This is to determine once and for all the bases of their claims. Kung naay kuwang then we have to comply but if walay basis then there is no reason to comply. I just have to check first from our end through our officers-in-charge and to elicit some facts regarding the operation of the slaughterhouse. Hopefully by Monday we can clear everything,” he said.

He said a conference was scheduled last Wednesday and Thursday but it did not push through due to lack of quorum.

The office Mayor Michael Rama has received a letter from the Mandaue City government Thursday stating Cebu City’s failure to comply with regulatory requirements as to the operation of the slaughterhouse.

According to the letter, the slaughterhouse is in a North Reclamation Area lot that is already within the jurisdiction of Mandaue City, yet the abattoir has no business, sanitary and mayor’s permits from Mandaue City.

Also, its personnel did not secure health cards from the Mandaue City Health Department, which violates Mandaue’s laws and regulations.

According to a survey conducted by Mandaue’s monitoring task force, the slaughterhouse is allegedly also unsanitary, which is caused by its obsolete wastewater treatment facility.

The task force further said that the cattle fats and hair from the facility were openly dumped in front of the building, producing leachate (the liquid that extracts solutes from other matter) that goes directly to the nearby Mahiga Creek.

It was also alleged that wastewater from the facility causes the creek to overflow, particularly during a heavy downpour.

To aptly determine as to whose jurisdiction the abattoir is really situated, Castillo has directed the city’s geodetic engineers to verify whether or not the facility is within Mandaue’s territory or not.

Rama, who had referred the matter to the City Legal Office for scrutiny, said, “It has to be perused by (the) legal (department) for preparations. It’s better to prepare than under-prepare.” — Kristine B. Quintas/RHM (FREEMAN)