Rehab of city abattoir pushed

CEBU, Philippines – The Department of Veterinary Medicine and Fisheries wants to upgrade the Cebu City Abattoir according to standards required by the National Meat Inspection Services.

City Veterinarian Alice Utlang said they aim for a 'Triple A' accreditation, which means that the city is following international standards.

A private sector from Manila has expressed its interest to renovate the city Abattoir under a build-operate-transfer scheme in 2008, but negotiations have been put on hold because the project is reportedly not considered a priority.

During the City Council's regular session last Friday, Councilor Raul Alcoseba, chairman of the committee on markets, proposed that the renovation be undertaken through a contractual agreement like a build and transfer scheme. Alcoseba also believes that renovating the abattoir should be considered a priority.

The City Council needs to give a go signal for bids for a project.

In 2008, when they received the offer from a private company to renovate the abattoir, the terms proposed would allow the city to pay the developer within three years in an installment basis.   Utlang is hopeful that the city will receive more proposals once bidding is formally opened.

She said the initial plan is to construct a second story on the existing abattoir, which will be utilized for other operations.

The space at the ground floor will be used for meat vendors to prepare their products so that DVMF inspectors can check preparations easily, unlike in the markets.

"Mas maayo man nga ato silang ibutang sa abattoir aron mabantayan gyud nato kung sakto ba ilang proseso. Usahay man gud, dili na sila mutuman especially kung walay inspectors sa market. Didto sa abattoir, ma-check gyud nato if they meet the sanitary standards in processing the meat," Utlang said.

She said the NMIS now requires all processed meat to be kept in standard temperature before being sold in the open. This is to ensure that meat products like "chorizos" and "longaniza" are properly prepared.

Utlang said it is ironic that Cebu City is growing fast, but its facilities like the abattoir are being left behind.

The abattoir has been existing for 35 years, but has not undergone any major renovation or upgrading. The poor building is reportedly a major factor why the abattoir could not get a "Triple A" accreditation.

"Hopefully kung ma-renovate na, makakuha na ta og accreditation from the NMIS. Right now, we could not supply our products in other areas outside Cebu City because we have no accreditation. Process wise, we are capable but sa atong facility, bagsak gyud ta," Utlang said. (FREEMAN)