CEBU, Philippines – Cebu City abattoir chief Alice Utlang yesterday personally confiscated 364 pieces of dressed chicken after she incidentally caught the illegal meat products, loaded in a vehicle, about to be delivered in the city’s markets.
Utlang, head of the Department of Veterinary Medicine and Fisheries and concurrent chief of the city’s abattoir, said that the owner of the cargoes named Jerry Oberes failed to present meat inspection certificates.
It was learned that the meat products came from Talisay City that allegedly does not have a double-A standard slaughterhouse for chicken; which means that slaughtered chicken from Talisay cannot be transported outside of the said city.
The National Meat Inspection Service has a standing policy that only those meat products that come from double-A standard slaughterhouses can be transported for commercial purposes to other local government units.
Utlang, who was on her way to the office yesterday morning, spotted a vehicle that was stalled at the roadside in barangay Basak-Pardo because of a mechanical defect. She said she noticed of the water that was dripping from the cargoes and began suspecting of meat products being transported.
“Nagtoo g’yod ko nga mga karne ang kargamento kay nagtulo man. Mao nga gipahunong nako ang sakyanan ug pagsusi sa akong sakop, karne g’yod sa manok nga para itumod unta dinhi sa Cebu City,” Utlang said.
She added that around two years ago, her personnel seized illegally transported meat products which happen to be owned by one “Jerry Oberes” who was already warned that the city’s meat inspectors are very strict in enforcing the meat handling procedures.
Members of the Task Force Hot Meat have been ordered by Utlang to strictly monitor the cargoes unloaded at the Cebu South Bus Terminal and in other parts of the city.
Utlang said that while the seized items worth P36,000 are still fit for human consumption, she opted to have these donated for Bogart, the young tiger at the Cebu City Zoo. – Rene U. Borromeo/MEEV (THE FREEMAN)