ILOILO City – Upgrading the city slaughterhouse in Barangay Tacas, Jaro district may cost “more or less P78 million to P100 million,” according to Mayor Jose Espinosa III.
Espinosa said a city hall technical working group had submitted to his office recommendations and a master plan on the improvement of the city slaughterhouse.
The amount needed for the upgrade prompted the local chief executive to seek funding support from Sen. Cynthia Villar.
Villar, chairwoman of the Senate committee on agriculture and food, is willing to help, Espinosa said.
Her office is waiting for a copy of the master plan and recommendations, added the mayor.
The National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) and the technical working group led by Local Economic Enterprise Office (LEEO) head Ariel Castañeda came up with the recommendations and master plan.
The LEEO oversees the operation of the slaughterhouse and the public markets.
Earlier Department of Agriculture assistant secretary for Visayas Hansel Didulo said the city slaughterhouse currently has no classification under the NMIS – it is neither A, AA or AAA.
Upgrading the slaughterhouse would have a considerable impact on the local economy, according to Didulo.
“The moment the NMIS and the Bureau of Animal Industry Quarantine Service strictly impose their rules, you cannot transport meat from the slaughterhouse,” said Didulo.
“This will have a big impact on the city’s economy because tons of meat from here are being shipped to Bacolod City and Negros Occidental, and even to Boracay before the island was closed,” the Agriculture official said./PN