Ifugao town regulates swine slaughter amid ECQ

 By Marcelo B. Lihgawon

LAMUT, Ifugao -- The municipal mayor here has issued guidelines to regulate the indiscriminate butchering of swine to be sold in the market for the safety of the people amid the imposed enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).

Mayor Mariano Buyagawan, Jr.  said that with the imposition of the ECQ in which people are asked to stay home to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, the municipal government mandated the barangay local government units to have their own “talipapa” where residents can market. However, they noticed  the indiscriminate butchering of swine in the barangays.

“We understand the predicament of our swine producers who are affected by African Swine Fever but we have to regulate,” Buyagawan said.

The guidelines state that  a barangay permit/certificate must be secured before butchering the pig at home and the barangay sanitary inspector (BSI) must be present during the butchering to secure the worthiness of the meat.

The Municipal Meat Inspector shall also attest the good condition of the meat for mass consumption, Nobody is allowed to sell meat inside the barangay without the BLGU permit/ certification and attested by the BSI.

Meanwhile, Buyagawan informed that the LGU will buy all products of local farmers so that they need not go to nearby provinces as they might get catch the virus.   

“Bring your agricultural products at the Lamut Trading Post.Get your certifications from your barangay captain certifying the ownership of the product to be sold at the trading post,” Buyagawan said.

He earlier directed the operation of the Lamut trading post for Ifugao farmers to sell their products and   as   drop point where traders would buy the local produce and bring them to markets outside the province. (JDP/MBL- PIA CAR, Ifugao)