For many years, swine farmers, meat vendors and processors in the municipality of Ragay, Camarines Sur make do with their existing slaughterhouse, which lacks equipment and is non-compliant to the National Meat Inspection Services’ (NMIS) standards. 

This situation will soon change, as the municipality starts the procurement process for its AA slaughterhouse located in Barangay Agrupacion. The project to be funded by the Department of Agriculture – Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-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 DA-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 PhP32.99 million-worth slaughterhouse project. Four prospective bidders participated in the blended meeting, with the deadline of submission of bids 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.

“’Yung ginagamit naming slaughterhouse, kumbaga temporary lang talaga siya, hindi siya 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 siya accredited na slaughterhouse, nagkakatay pa rin kung saan-saan,” Municipal Agriculturist and concurrently the Municipal Project Management and Implementation Unit (MPMIU) Head of Ragay Teresita P. Bravo, added.

The DA-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 )

LGU-Ragay Bids and Awards Committee Chairperson Engr. Neopito G. Tipay Jr. presides the Pre-bid Conference for the Construction of the AA Slaughterhouse to be funded under the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) on July 21, 2021. (Photo Credits: Annielyn L. Baleza, DA RAFIS V/PRDP-Bicol InfoACE Unit)

PRDP-Bicol Procurement Unit Head Imelda P. Acompañado, Procurement Officer Engr. Jesti Bergantin and Associate Procurement Officer Engr. Jamal Cadiz attend the Pre-Bid Conference for the Construction of the AA Slaughterhouse to be funded under the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) on July 21, 2021. (Photo Credits: Annielyn L. Baleza, DA RAFIS V/PRDP-Bicol InfoACE Unit)

In photo is the Architect’s Perspective of the PRDP-funded AA slaughterhouse to be constructed in Ragay, Camarines Sur. (Photo Credit: MPMIU-Ragay, Camarines Sur)

In photo is the Site Development Plan for the Construction of the AA Slaughterhouse to be funded by the PRDP in Ragay, Camarines Sur. (Photo Credit: MPMIU-Ragay, Camarines Sur)