BAGUIO CITY – More than 280 kilos of alleged mishandled meat were seized by veterinary and meat inspectors at the 2nd floor of the Carinderia building here around 4:30 am Wednesday.
In their post-activity report to Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan, Dra. Narcisa B. Guminigin, Veterinarian IV and Myra Bonnie P. Balting, Meat Inspector III, cited that the seized mishandled meat were loaded in 16 boxes that were properly piled up along the alley of the meat section.
The assigned government personnel narrated that in the early morning of June 24, 2015 while they were having their monitoring and inspection at the meat section of the public market, a concerned citizen approached them and requested their assistance to inspect certain boxes of suspected mishandled frozen meat piled at a certain area.
Upon reaching the place where the alleged mishandled frozen meat were piled, the personnel found out that 16 boxes of assorted frozen pork products with an estimated weight of 280 kilos were piled on the floor at the hallway near the store of a certain Ms. Marissa Gismundo.
When the inspectors asked the stall owners and their employers on who owns the alleged mishandled meat, nobody admitted owning the same which prompted them to seek the assistance of the city treasury personnel to assist them in identifying the owner of the mishandled meat.
It was later discovered that the mishandled meat was owned by Ms. Rizaline Manoloto of RMM Trading.
The 16 boxes of meat was subsequently confiscated by the veterinary personnel after it was found that the same was mishandled.
The supplier was said to have violated provisions of Republic Act (RA) 7394 or the Consumer Act of the Philippines, RA 9296 or the Meat Inspection code of the Philippines, Administrative Order No. 06 of the Department of Agriculture and Ordinance No. 2012-01 prescribing rules and regulations governing the operation of the Slaughterhouse, Livestock and Meat Inspection Service in the City of Baguio and amending Section 34a to g and Section 35 of Tax Ordinance No. 2000-001.
The confiscated mishandled meat products were subsequently disposed by the veterinary personnel at the Baguio Dairy Farm.
Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan commended the members of the inspection team for their promote action on the request of concerned citizens regarding the presence of mishandled meat within the premises of the meat section of the public market.
He cited the timely actin of the veterinary personnel contributed in significantly reducing the volume of suspected mishandled meat being sold by unscrupulous traders wanting to earn substantial income at the expense of the innocent buyers.
The city mayor urged more concerned citizens to be vigilant in reporting to government personnel assigned in the public market the presence of mishandled meat so that it will be immediately confiscated to prevent the same from being supplied to the public.
By Dexter A. See
