Food safety and security should go hand in hand. This was underscored by Department of Agriculture – Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP) Bicol Deputy Project Director Adelina Losa during the groundbreaking ceremony of the DA-PRDP-funded AA slaughterhouse for Calabanga, Camarines Sur held on January 18, 2024 in this municipality.  

“Dapat nag-iiba iba ang food security and food safety ta kung secured man kita na bakong safe ang kinakaon ta, mayo din di ba? Ang pag-establish nin slaughterhouse, actually ang sinasagot ta diyan, ang food safety (Food security must always come together with food safety. If the food we eat is unsafe, food security is meaningless. By establishing this slaughterhouse, we are actually addressing the concern on food safety),” Losa said. 

The PhP42.83 million-worth post-harvest facility in Brgy. San Lucas in Calabanga is the first AA slaughterhouse in the third district of Camarines Sur. Currently, the municipality has an existing slaughterhouse, however, it is limited to a locally registered meat establishment. 

According to National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) Regional Technical Director Dr. Alex Templonuevo, the NMIS-compliant AA slaughterhouse to be established in Calabanga will elevate the meat hygiene situation in the community. It features a 270-square-meter main building, a 240-square-meter holding pen, and a 64-square-meter wastewater facility. The 7,578-square-meter facility also includes a 96-square-meter butcher’s quarter, a 48-square-meter car park, electrical and pump area and a 12.25-square-meter elevated water tank. The subproject also comes with machinery and equipment to guarantee the sanitation of the slaughterhouse. 

He added that the infrastructure development (I-BUILD) subproject can generate additional revenues for the local government unit. 

“Backed with a local ordinance on fees and charges and other operational provisions, the AA slaughterhouse can gain a return of investment within three years,” he said. 

Once fully operational, the AA slaughterhouse will have a capacity of 80 to 133 heads of swine and 35 heads of cattle per day. It is projected to cater slaughtering services to nearby municipalities of Bombon, Canaman and Magarao in the third district of Camarines Sur as well as Siruma and Tinambac in the fourth district of the province. 

DA Bicol Agricultural Program Coordinating Officer (APCO) for Camarines Sur Marcial Bustarga, who represented DA Bicol Regional Executive Director and concurrently DA-PRDP Bicol Project Director Rodel Tornilla, mentioned that the subproject will benefit about 83,033 individuals or 17,211 households, 14,655 of which are farmer households. He added that the establishment of the AA slaughterhouse will also support the DA Bicol’s campaign to control and prevent the spread of African swine fever (ASF). 

In his message, Mayor Eugene Norman Severo thanked the DA PRDP Bicol for co-financing the I-BUILD subproject and assured the community that once it is operational, it will provide the best quality service. 

“Ang pasalamat mi po na na-proceed man giraray (ang project)… We will provide the cleanest and the fastest way na pag-slaughter kan satuyang livestock. (We are thankful that finally, this project was pushed through… We will provide the cleanest and the fastest livestock slaughtering services), “ Mayor Severo said. 

Also present during the AA slaughterhouse groundbreaking ceremony were DA-PRDP Bicol I-BUILD Head Engr. Teodoro Eleda, Calabanga Vice Mayor Victor De Villa, Municipal Agriculturist and Municipal Project Management and Implementation Unit (MPMIU) Head Megdonio Segovia Jr., Municipal Engineer Ramon Pabico Jr., former Calabanga Mayor Eduardo Severo, members of the MPMIU and other local officials.

Based from the Province of Camarines Sur Livestock and Poultry Inventory as of January  2019, Calabanga ranked seventh in terms of swine production in the province with an average production of 5,588 from 2015 to 2018. There are 1,800 swine raisers in the municipality.  

The AA slaughterhouse in Calabanga is funded under the DA-PRDP’s second additional financing. It is the seventh slaughterhouse being implemented by the DA-PRDP in Bicol. (Annielyn L. Baleza, DA PRDP RPCO V InfoACE Unit/DA RAFIS V)

Photo Credits: Annielyn L. Baleza and Ramon C. Adversario Jr., DA RAFIS V