Residents, workers block closure of old slaughterhouse
BACOLOD CITY – Hundreds of residents of Barangay 35 including slaughterhouse workers prevented the closure of the old slaughterhouse last Saturday by setting up barricades at the building's entrance.
The team from Bacolod Police Station 1, headed by Sr. Inspector Luisito Acebuche, together with the Bacolod City Enforcement Team gathered at the entrance of the old slaughterhouse but did not push through with the closure to prevent any untoward incident.
The city government instead resorted to the disconnection of power supply in the old slaughterhouse to effect its closure.
Former workers of the old slaughterhouse and residents in the area condemned the closure of said abattoir to be unjust and unfair. The affected workers demanded for an alternate livelihood assistance because they claimed that they will be dislocated by the closure of old slaughterhouse as it provides them their main source of livelihood.
The "Asosasyon sang mga Manug-ihaw nga Trabahante sa Slaughterhouse" or AMTS lead by Samuel Cordova strongly called on Mayor Evelio Leonardia for a dialogue to discuss their immediate concerns.
Three Barangay Captains from barangays 34, 35 and 36 showed up to support the move of the affected abattoir workers and denounced the City Government of Bacolod for entering into an Agreement with AVM Bernardo Engineering Services to operate the new slaughterhouse without consulting them and their constituents.
On the other hand, Mayor Leonardia along with some city officials led the inauguration and blessing of the new slaughterhouse at Brgy. Handumanan. The Chief Executive and the AVM Bernardo Engineering Services were welcomed by Brgy. Captain Ricardo Danoy.
Danoy, in his welcome address, thanked the support of the City because the new slaughterhouse located in their barangay will mean more employment and development opportunities to his constituents.
In his keynote address, Mayor Leonardia ordered the City Cooperative to conduct a study for all the affected workers of the old slaughterhouse in Brgy. 35 and promised to give them livelihood assistance.
"Health and sanitation is our concern in putting up a new slaughterhouse," Leonardia said. He said that based on the findings of National Meat Inspection Services (NMIS), the old slaughterhouse is not qualified to meet the standards required by law.
NMIS Regional Director Manuel Limana, who also attended the blessing and inauguration of the new slaughterhouse, confirmed this findings. Limana said that the old slaughterhouse cannot pass the standards even if the city will undertake its rehabilitation primarily because "it is situated in a residential area."