ILOILO City – There are now eight private firms interested to upgrade and operate the slaughterhouse in Barangay Tacas, Jaro district through a public-private partnership with the city government.
The slaughterhouse was constructed and became operational in the later part of 2007. It deteriorated in just a few years.
In May 2017 the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) evaluated the slaughterhouse and recommended that the city government employ competent personnel to maintain the facility or privatize its operation.
According to Mayor Jerry Treñas, the eight interested private firms already submitted proposals. These would be scrutinized by the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Center.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) helped repair and upgrade the slaughterhouse to AA classification in November 2012 under the administration of then mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog. It was funded by a P40-million share from Sen. Franklin Drilon’s Priority Development Assistance Fund as well as a P31.5-million allocation by the DA under the Agricultural Competitiveness Enhancement Fund, and an P11.5-million equity of the Iloilo City government.
The upgrade included a set of modern mechanized slaughtering and cutting equipment, 50-ton cold storage facility, waste water filtration system, holding pen and meat delivery van.
Then DA secretary Proceso Alcala encouraged Iloilo farmers, livestock raisers and meat traders to maximize the use of the upgraded slaughterhouse to strengthen the meat industry in the province.
But again, in just a few years the slaughterhouse deteriorated.
According to Treñas, a team from the PPP Center was here recently and inspected the slaughterhouse.
The PPP Center espouses the PPP scheme – a contractual agreement between the government and a private firm targeted towards financing, designing, implementing, and operating infrastructure facilities and services traditionally provided by the public sector.
Treñas envisions an AAA slaughterhouse capable of producing export-quality meat.
The initiative aims to ensure safe meat products being processed and sold in markets.
“We can’t have a slaughterhouse where the butchering process is being done on the floor. We want to have the best slaughterhouse in Western Visayas,” said Treñas.
The city’s slaughterhouse failed to get any rating or classification – A, AA or AAA – from the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS), a specialized regulatory agency of the DA that is the country’s sole controlling authority on all matters pertaining to meat inspection and hygiene.
An A classification means meat from the slaughterhouse can be transported within the city only while an AA classification means the meat can be transported outside the city.
An AAA classification, on the other hand, means the meat from the slaughterhouse is safe enough to be shipped abroad.
The NMIS evaluated the slaughterhouse in May 2017 and recommended that the city government employ competent personnel to maintain the facility.
It also suggested that the slaughterhouse’s operation be privatized./PN
