LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – The municipal government will pursue the removal of the chicken dung business in some barangays in the municipality to protect for the health and safety of the affected residents and to sustain the ongoing efforts of the government to preserve and protect the environment.
Mayor Romeo K. Salda stated that the existing chicken dung traders were given up to the end of September to relocate their business outside the municipality because the municipal government will not allow them to conduct business within the locality.
Earlier, the municipal council passed a resolution for the immediate relocation of the chicken dung traders outside the municipality as this is considered a nuisance based on a previous ruling of the Court of Appeals (CA) and the complaints from residents near the chicken dung trading areas due to the obnoxious smell emanating from the said dung.
The municipal chief executive claimed that the chicken dung traders were already given sufficient time to look for a new vending area outside the municipality for their farmer clients.
Municipal officials recently met with chicken dung dealers who will be affected by the implementation of the relocation plan and it was agreed that the traders will be given sufficient time to look for sites outside the municipality to transfer their business.
Mayor Salda underscored that because of the health and environment issues involved in the conduct of the trade, especially that trading of chicken dung is done near populated areas, chicken dung traders need to look for feasible sites where they can continue their lucrative business so as not to compromise the health of the people and the state of the environment.
According to him, the municipal government will be conducting an ocular inspection in the various areas in the municipality where chicken dung traders have been doing business to ascertain their compliance to the directive to relocate.
At present, the chicken dung traders have not yet submitted their request to the municipal council for possible extension of the prescribed deadline.
While chicken dung is an important organic fertilizer for vegetable production, Salda stipulated that there are certain regulations governing the sale of chicken dung which the traders have difficulty in complying, especially addressing the health and environment issues, that prompted the municipal government to order them to relocate outside the capital town.
