TABUK CITY, Kalinga– Tabuk City is the first local government unit in the Cordillera that will have an AA upgraded abattoir to be operational in the next several months following the near completion of the facility situated within a 2-hectare city-owned property.
Assistant City Veterinarian Carmen D. Wanas said that the AA abattoir is a joint project of the city government and the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) where both government entities had a 50-50 percent sharing of the funds required to upgrade the city’s slaughterhouse.
She disclosed that the NMIS and the city government disbursed some P6.8 million each for the improvement of the abattoir and the purchase of the needed equipment and machineries for the upgraded services of the slaughterhouse, especially in the better handling of the meat products produced in the facility.
Wanas claimed the upgraded services of the abattoir will include the no touch ground for the animals that will be butchered because the same will be already hanged; there will be additional units of equipment for stunning, among others, and butchers will be employees of the city government unlike in the present set up where they are under the control of meat vendors.
The assistant city veterinarian reported the construction of the city’s upgraded abattoir is nearing completion for the city to have the first local government-managed and operated abattoir in the region with better facilities.
In 2018, Wanas said the previous administration proposed to the NMIS the funding of the upgrading of the city’s abattoir but the same was not granted because of alleged unliquidated funds.
However, she explained that when Mayor Darwin C. Estrañero assumed the leadership of the city and when the project and the issue on the alleged unliquidated cash advance was brought to his attention, he immediately worked out the settlement of the unliquidated funds because of the benefits that will be derived by the city when the funds for the project will be released subject to the counterpart from the city.
Further, Wanas revealed Mayor Estrañero also assured the provision of funds from the city’s supplemental budget for the improvement and landscaping of the AA slaughterhouse which is not included in the package funds for the said project.
She expressed her gratitude to Mayor Estrañero for his swift decision in settling the city’s unliquidated cash advance with the NMIS that resulted to the immediate processing of the city’s request for the upgrading of the slaughterhouse to sustain the improvement of the quality of meat products being produced in the city and to ensure the conformity of the abattoir to quality standards.
Wanas admitted the completion of the project had been delayed because of the effect of the prevailing restrictions on the movement of people due the on-going efforts of both the national and local governments to combat the spread of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) but the contractor is working hard to complete the same in time for its possible operation next year.
By Hent