‘Hot meat’ for wedding, baptism seized at checkpoint

By Liezle Basa Inigo

MANGALDAN, Pangasinan – A man was apprehended by the police here after he tried to smuggle freshly butchered pork past a checkpoint set up here to prevent the entry of meat products and hogs that could be infected by African swine fever (ASF).

Reports said that personnel of Mangaldan Police nabbed Raquel Ungos, 39, who was stopped at a checkpoint in Barangay Embarcadeo here last Feb. 24, around 8:40 p.m., with 40 kilograms of pork inside her motorcycle pigpen.

Ungos was said to be a resident of Barangay Sto. Tomas, San Jacinto, Pangasinan and was supposed to deliver the meat that will be cooked at a wedding and baptismal party here.

Authorities considered Ungos’ load of pork as hot meat because this was slaughtered at an unaccredited meat establishment, and did not undergo the required inspection. It was also transported without any legal documents.

The apprehension came after the Sangguniang Bayan of Mangaldan in Pangasinan declared on Feb. 21 the municipality under a state of calamity due to the outbreak of the ASF.

The council also granted Mangaldan Mayor Mary Marilyn DG. Lambino emergency powers.

It has earlier been reported that Mangaldan was one of the municipalities in Pangasinan that has been the hardest hit by ASF.

The Municipal Agriculture Office has reported that some hog farms in Barangays Bateng. Palua and Alitaya were confirmed to be contaminated with ASF, even as Barangays Pogo, Salaan, Lanas, Bantayan and Talogtog were already placed on lockdown, while all the other barangays in the town are under close monitoring.