City’s new abattoir unveiled, ensures quality, healthy meat
Mayor Celso Lobregat leads city government officials in unveiling the P14 million modern abattoir equipment at the San Roque slaughter house early dawn Saturday, March 5. Also in photo are City Administrator Antonio Orendain Jr., City Councilors Cesar Iturralde, Eddie Saavedra, Luis Biel III, Rudy Lim, Rey Candido and Nonong Guingona, City Veterinarian Mario Ariola and San Roque barangay chair Alene Feliciano. (JOEY BAUTISTA)
In a very unusual occasion, Mayor Celso Lobregat led the inauguration of the city government’s newly upgraded slaughterhouse costing almost P15 million before dawn Saturday in Barangay San Roque, this city.
“We are now using the latest advancements in slaughterhouse operations to ensure a supply of quality, safe and healthy meat for the local markets,” Mayor Lobregat said as he personally ushered government officials and businessmen to a tour of the abattoir’s facilities at 2 o’clock in the morning Saturday.
The chief executive said the project costs the city government more than P11 million for the building alone, and P4.6 million for the equipment including a water treatment plant with a pond, from which the water is recycled for the operation.
For the meantime, he said, the new abattoir is rated “AA” only because it has no refrigeration facility yet. “But once we have it, maybe in our next term, this will become a ‘AAA’ abattoir,” the mayor said, explaining that the inauguration rites had to be conducted before dawn so that the guests can observe the actual operation of the abattoir.
The city officials, some businessmen and other guests arrived at the abattoir in San Roque as early as 1:30 am, and minutes later the program started with Archbishop Romulo Valles and parish priest Rev. Fr. Allain Ruiz leading the prayers and blessing of the facilities.
In his welcome remarks, City Administrator Antonio Orendain Jr. emphasized that the new abattoir ensures healthy meat, where the cattle are slaughtered without the usual protesting sound, similar to what is heard from a swine butchered by bare hands. “In this manner, the meat is healthy and no negative effects on our body, just like eating fish,” he explained.
For his part, Lobregat recalled that the city’s old abattoir located in the same area was razed by fire in 2000. Since then, the operation was scaled down manually with few employees assigned.
“It took us quite sometime to realize this project. With the help of the insurance money paid to the city government plus our new allocations appropriated during our first term in 2004, we were able to finally construct this new abattoir,” he said.
In response, Rodolfo Iglesias, local chapter president of the Slaughterhouse Operators Association of the Philippines, lauded Mayor Lobregat for putting up the new abattoir.
“This is a dream come true for our association. We organized ourselves to push the need for a supply of quality meat for domestic and ‘export’ demands,” Iglesias said, citing Zamboanga City as an important supplier of quality meat to other provinces in Mindanao and Luzon, “just as we are exporting vegetables to other parts of the country.”
According to Iglesias, the new abattoir is another monumental testimony of the city government’s sound fiscal management as instituted by the mayor himself. “Ta ase le todo posible para el buen del ciudad,” (The mayor is doing everything possible for the good of the city) he said.
Assistant City Administrator Elmer Apolinario in his closing statement recalled that the old abattoir was constructed in 1992 and started operation a year later. It achieved a “AAA” status in 1995, but what was then awarded as the cleanest abattoir in the region was reduced to ashes following a fire incident in 2000.
The new facilities could slaughter at least 50 cattle every day; it operates from 2 am to 4 am, in time for the delivery of meat fresh to the markets at 5 am. Under the old ordinance, the slaughter fee is pegged at P72 only per head, too low for the present system.
Thus, Lobregat cited the need to amend the ordinance in order to increase the slaughter fee, corresponding to the present operational cost. “But not now, maybe we can do it during our next term,” he clarified.
Present during the pre-dawn inauguration rites were Councilors Cesar Iturralde, Rey Candido, Nonong Guingona, Rudy Lim, Jaime Cabato, Eddie Saavedra, Noning Biel, Ahman and Lilia Nuño, Joe-fel de las Peñas; council aspirants Roseller Natividad, Mayra Valderrosa, VP Elago, Pinpin Apreja; City Engineer Vicente Luis Despalo, City Environment and Natural Resources Officer Rey Gonzales, San Roque barangay officials led Chairwoman Allen Feliciano and other city officials.
The business sector was represented by the Filipino-Chinese Chamber president Richard Chan, Wee Sion Beng, Eddie Chua, Lobregat’s brother, Jomar, Eddie Chiong and the hog raisers. (Vic Larato)