1.5 tons of ‘hot’ meat seized in Bulacan

GUIGUINTO, Bulacan – Police confiscated at least 1.5 tons of ‘hot’ meat here at a checkpoint on Thursday night, while five persons were arrested, including a municipal employee who reportedly offered a bribe of P35,000.

Superintendent Ronald De Jesus, Guiguinto police chief, identified the suspects as Ricky Bacsal and his live-in partner Teresa Palomar, Arnel Alvarez and Joel Tan.

Police also arrested a certain Gregorio Cardenas, an employee of the municipal government of Guiguinto, who allegedly offered the police bribe money.

De Jesus said his men were manning a checkpoint in Barangay Pritil at around 9:45 p.m. on Thursday when a red van, with license plates CLL-471, arrived.

The police officers inspected the van and found 1.5 tons of frozen meat without meat inspection seal.

The ‘hot’ meat were sent to the Hiyas Agro-Commodities Center (HACC) slaughter in Barangay Tabang here for destruction.

However, Cardenas reportedly immediately handed out P35,000 in cash to SPO4 Art Gatmaitan and PO3 Darly Riogleon, who then reported the incident to superiors.

De Jesus immediately ordered the arrest of Cardenas while Dr. Ed Jose, Municipal Agriculture Officer, certified the confiscated meat as “double dead.”

The hot meat were later burned.

Dr. Felipe Bartolome, head of the provincial veterinary office, told The STAR that the  ‘hot’ meat were not contaminated by hog cholera or swine flu that ravaged Bulacan’s hog industry last month.

Police also confiscated an electric mixer, butchers’ knives and electronic weighing scale from the suspects. The meat were supposed to be delivered to Manila, and authorities suspect  that it may be sold as processed meat.