BAGUIO CITY – Some one hundred sixty kilos of double dead meat were successfully confiscated by personnel of the city veterinary office in separate operations at the Slaughterhouse Compound recently.
In her report to Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan, Dra. Brigit P. Piok, city veterinarian, said that a certain Rodrigo Jose, a private butcher, was caught dehairing an alleged dead hog at the hog area inside the city slaughterhouse.
She said the dead animal weighing approximately 50 kilos was immediately confiscated by Dra. Narcisa B. Guminigin, Veterinarian IV, considering that the butchering of the said animal was in violation of Republic Act 10536 or the Amended Meat Inspection code of the Philippines and Tax Ordinance No. 2012-01 which prescribes the rules and regulations governing the operation of the slaughterhouse, livestock and meat inspection service in the city.
Piok said after interviewing the butcher, it was known that the dead animal came from the livestock auction market and as a consequence, Jose will be penalized for first offense of the ordinance which will be the suspension of his meat handler’s license for 7 days and a fine of P500.
In a separate incident, Piok narrated a caller informed their office of the alleged act of butchering a dead animal inside a vehicle within the residential area of the Slaughterhouse Compound.
Dra. Bernadette C. Pedro, Meat Inspection III, immediately went to the area and found that one head of hog was on the process of being slaughtered by the owner’s driver and two companions.
Upon investigation, Pedro learned that the hog died on the way from Tarlac to Baguio City. The confiscated dead animals were immediately brought to the Baguio Dairy Farm for proper disposal through burying which was done with the appropriate representatives from the owners.
Piok appealed to concerned citizens to continue providing their office with the needed information relative to the presence of double and mishandled meat products in the different parts of the city so that appropriate operations could be done for the confiscation of such prohibited products and ensure that the meat being bought by the people is safe for consumption.
She assured local residents that their office will continue to be on guard against the illegal activities of some meat vendors in selling double dead and mishandled meat in the different markets of the city to prevent the proliferation of the prohibited types of meat products from being circulated considering that such products pose a serious threat to the health of the consumers.
By Dexter A. See