BAGUIO CITY — An ordinance regulating the meat and fishery products was introduced with a monitoring task force within Baguio City, and an addition of new terms took effect as of 2024.
The City Ordinance No. 88, Series of 2023, known as the “Monitoring Task Force for Meat and Fishery Products in the City of Baguio”, ensures the hygienic handling and distribution of meat and fish products.
Newly slaughtered meat from the poultry or slaughterhouse should be sold within eight hours from butchering.
To prolong its quality, meat products must be displayed in the chiller and sold within 10°C and below.
Thawed meat products should be stored and displaced in the chiller or refrigerator within 5°C or less.
Fishery products such as finfish, mollusks, crustaceans, and all other aquatic living resources should be handled, displayed and sold either fresh, chilled, frozen or processed.
The fishery products that are subjected to freezing should preserve its quality from -18°C to 0°C.
Cat and dog meat are included in the “non-food” animal category so these types of meat must not be sold, as these meats will be confiscated by the task force with each penalty corresponding to their offenses.
A fine of 5,000 pesos will be penalized to those who would obstruct, harass, or defy the members of the task force during inspection.
Any meat vendor or handler who would violate the laws, rules and regulation regarding the meat and fish inspection would be penalized accordingly.
For their first offense, a penalty of 1,000 pesos would be imposed with a confiscation of animal carcasses, and meat and fish products.
A penalty of 2,000 pesos and product confiscation would be imposed to those who had committed their second offense.
A third offense would be penalized with 5,000 pesos, product confiscation, and a cancellation of their business permit to operate.
Any food outlet such as stalls, restaurants and eateries who are caught storing, serving, preparing, or even displaying meat derived from non-food animals such as cats and dogs may be subject to penalties as well.
A penalty of 2,000 pesos and meat product confiscation would be implied upon those who committed the first offense.
Those who did not abide by the rules and regulations for the second time would be subject to a penalty of 5,000 pesos, meat product confiscation, and cancellation of business permit to operate their business.
And the third offense would succumb to the penalties of the second offense, with the addition of perpetual disqualification to engage in any kind of business.
The ordinance was introduced and debriefed to a total of 140 participants who attended either of the two sessions; 62 participants attended the morning session, while 78 participants participated in the afternoon session.
This is to ensure that the participants would abide by the rules and regulations and to decrease the percentage of product confiscation.
Another semi-annual orientation would be held within a set date within July to December this year. By Dessa Joi Peralta
