Court favors city in transfer of slaughterhouse operations
BACOLOD CITY – Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 53 found nothing irregular or illegal in the move of the city government of Bacolod to transfer the operations of the slaughterhouse from its old venue in Brgy. 35 to a new one in Brgy. Handumanan which is run by AVM Bernardo Engineering Services.
Acting City Legal Officer Atty. Vicente Petierre Jr. yesterday announced that he received copy of the RTC resolution.
To recall, the court petition was filed by a group of meat vendors, butchers, hog dealers and lechon vendors led by Joaquin P. Medina last November 27, 2008.
They alleged that the confiscation of meat and/or declaring it a "hot meat" if it did not pass through the new slaughterhouse is whimsical, illegal and contrary to law. Medina also cited that the new slaughterhouse is being managed and controlled by a private corporation and that it has full control of the fees, and worse it is the one that collects the regulatory fees for the city of Bacolod without the corresponding ordinance.
On the other hand, Atty. Petierre said that despite of the arguments presented by the group of Medina, the court found that the old slaughterhouse in Brgy. 35 is already deteriorating.
Petierre said that they cited that the old slaughterhouse was even inspected by the personnel of the National Meat Inspection Services and found it to be unsanitary and did not live up to the standards of the National Meat Inspection Code.
The court declared that the act of the Sangguniang Panglungsod and the Local Chief Executive are presumed regular and City Ordinance 459 series of 2008 is presumed valid until declared null and void.
Petierre said that the act of the city government is justified in transferring the slaughterhouse operations to a clean and sanitary place.