RAGAY, CAMARINES SUR – For many years, swine farmers, meat vendors and processors in this municipality make do with their existing slaughterhouse, which lacks equipment and non-compliant to the National Meat Inspection Services’ (NMIS) standards.
“Yung ginagamit naming slaughterhouse kumbaga temporary lang talaga sya, hindi sya pasado sa standards ng NMIS tapos yung mga equipment doon. Kumbaga, yung mga pagkakatay ng mga binibenta sa palengke, hindi ganoon kalinis–yung gusto namin na malinis talaga, tapos kalat-kalat palibhasa hindi pa sya accredited na slaughterhouse, nagkakatay pa rin kung saan-saan,” Teresita P. Bravo, Municipal Agriculturist and concurrently the Municipal Project Management and Implementation Unit (MPMIU) Head of Ragay, said.
This situation will soon change as the municipality starts the procurement process for its AA slaughterhouse located in Brgy. Agrupacion. The project to be funded by the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) infrastructure development (I-BUILD) component comes with civil works including a 160 square meter slaughterhouse building and 60 square meter holding pen The facility has an operational capacity of 11 to 58 heads per day for hogs and 1 to 8 heads per day for cattle, and is complete with hog slaughtering equipment, large animal slaughtering equipment, and auxiliary equipment.
During the Pre-bid Conference for the construction of AA slaughterhouse in Ragay, Camarines Sur held on July 21, 2021, the PRDP Project Support Office (PSO) South Luzon and PRDP-Bicol Procurement Unit discussed the eligibility and technical documents, bid opening checklist, general and special conditions of the contract as well as the bill of quantities for the P32.99 million-worth slaughterhouse project. Four prospective bidders participated in the blended meeting. Deadline of submission of bids is on August 5, 2021 at 10 a.m. in the municipal hall.
According to Bravo, the slaughterhouse project will promote food safety and boost the municipality’s swine industry.“Malaking tulong sa LGU namin na magkaroon kami ng accredited na slaughterhouse, yung fully equipped, tapos nasu-supervise din ng government. Mahalaga yun kasi unang-una importante sa health ng mga tao. Kung may slaughterhouse na kami na secure, puwede naming i-impose yung ordinansa na lahat doon kakatayin sa slaughterhouse. Tapos siyempre pag marami nang magkakatay doon, yung presyo ng baboy gaganda din, tapos yung ibang munisipyong katabi namin na wala pa silang slaughterhouse, puwedeng pupunta din dito sa amin, magkakaroon ng employment, mas madadagdagan ang income ng mga tao,” she said.
She furthered that the I-BUILD subproject will encourage farmers to engage in hog raising and agri-entrepreneurs to invest in meat processing. “Kasi parang yung mga processed meat dito sa amin kung saan-saan pa nanggagaling pero kung may maganda na kaming slaughterhouse, okay na yung supply ng karne namin, puwedeng magkaroon ng ibang business yung mga tao,” she added.PRDP and NMIS eye slaughterhouse subprojects as one of the solutions to the 92.10 percent insanitary meat hygiene situation in Bicol.
According to NMIS-Bicol OIC-Regional Director Dr. Alex Templonuevo, of the 114 municipalities and cities in the region, only 59 have locally registered meat establishments (LRME) and five have accredited AA slaughterhouses.
(Annielyn L. Baleza, DA RAFIS V/PRDP RPCO V InfoACE Unit)With reports from Engr. Jesti C. Bergantin, PRDP-Bicol Procurement Unit and Engr. Joel A. Catimbang, PRDP-Bicol I-BUILD Photo Credits: Annielyn L. Baleza, DA RAFIS V/PRDP-Bicol InfoACE Unit)
