ILOILO CITY – The National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) will provide guidance on the temporary repair of the slaughterhouse here while it is waiting to be improved through the public private partnership (PPP).

“NMIS is open and willing to help and provide guidance. They will be visiting the slaughterhouse to look into the temporary repair meantime that we are still waiting for the improvement that is proposed under PPP, which is currently on bidding,” Maricel Mabaquiao, head of the Local Economic Enterprise Office (LEEO) which has jurisdiction over the slaughterhouse, said in an interview Monday.

Mabaquiao said the recent repair was on the roofing and they are planning to rehabilitate their holding pen.

The slaughterhouse currently can accommodate over 300 livestock heads but can cater up to 500 heads once fully equipped.

In a separate interview, NMIS regional technical director Dr. Randy Lontoc said his office will again visit the slaughterhouse to help them come up with proper designs and equipment that the city should acquire depending on the volume of livestock that they can accommodate.

Although the city’s slaughterhouse is not accredited with the NMIS yet, these can still operate because they have meat inspectors.

“So it is okay as long as they will not be shipped outside of the city,” he said.

Lontoc said that several times he conducted routine inspections in the city’s public markets, they confiscated hot meat or those that were slaughtered somewhere else.

Mabaquiao said Iloilo City has a Task Force Anti-Hot Meat that looks into illegal slaughtering or backyard slaughtering.

The rampant selling of illegally slaughtered meat was monitored at the height of the pandemic.

She said the LEEO has assigned meat inspectors at the slaughterhouse and also deployed in various markets in the city to conduct inspection together with the task force at least thrice a month.

They also join the NMIS when they conduct inspections.

Early this month, the NMIS led an inspection to discourage backyard slaughtering and confiscated 60 kilograms of undocumented pork.

The items were disinfected and turned over to the city government for proper disposal.

Mabaquiao said once the slaughterhouse is improved, they will be working out for the city’s local meat inspection ordinance and update the market and slaughterhouse ordinance.

Meanwhile, the public is reminded to be aware and vigilant as to the source of their meat and those that came from the slaughterhouse have a meat inspection certificate that assures they are safe for consumption. (PNA)

SOURCE: https://www.pna.gov.ph