TUBLAY, Benguet – The municipal government will be allowing the resumption of the lucrative chicken dung trade in some parts of the municipality after the prevailing enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) of Benguet will be downgraded to general community quarantine (GCQ).
However, Mayor Armando Lauro said that it will not be the usual way of doing business for the chicken dung traders as the local government will be implementing the prevailing policy of physical distancing, mandatory wearing of face masks for the workers and the transacting farmers and the provision of hand washing and sanitation areas apart from other requirements that could be imposed to prevent the possible spread of the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) 2019 in the municipality that will emanate from the trading area.
He stated that the local government organized an inspection team that will initially conduct an inspection in the 9 chicken dung trading areas in Barangay Ambassador and Caponga to ascertain their compliance to the stringent ECQ and GCQ guidelines and for the same to come out with their recommendations on what will be the additional rules that will be crafted by the municipality to compel the compliance of the traders to the new normal scenario created by the global pandemic.
Lauro claimed that after the initial inspection that will be conducted by the inspection team, he will again meet with the members to evaluate and asses their findings prior to the issuance of the guidelines governing the operation of the chicken dung business in the locality once the GCQ will be imposed in the province.
According to him, the chicken dung business is one of the major sources of the local government’s internally generated resources but it is proper for the municipality to impose stringent guidelines for the resumption of the chicken dung trade because of the threat of the global pandemic that totally and drastically changed the way of life of the people in the different parts of the world.
Tublay is one of the municipalities in the province that was able to maintain a COVID-free status because of the strict implementation of the ECQ guidelines and further elevating the status of the municipality to extreme ECQ for several times until the lifting of the same by May 15, 2020.
He added that the organized inspection team will strictly monitor the compliance of the chicken dung traders and the purchasing farmers to the established health protocols as the same is intended for the health and safety of the public.
Lauro appealed to the chicken dung traders in the municipality to comply with the prescribed health protocols and the recommended innovations in their operations for them to be allowed to continue their business operation after the ECQ as the imposed guidelines from the national inter-agency task force for the management of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases are for the greater benefit of the populace.
Lauro stipulated that there were numerous requests in the past to allow the resumption of the chicken dung trade but the local government stood firm to adhere to the rules imposed of the task force because it is for the welfare of the people living in the communities near the trading areas.
By HENT