Councilor Wilson Gamboa Jr,.
Bacolod City’s Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) recently passed on first reading a proposed ordinance aimed at regulating poultry dressing plants and processing farms.
It is authored by Councilor Wilson Gamboa Jr. and co-authored by Councilors Homer Bais and Caesar Distrito.
The ordinance addresses urgent public health, sanitation, and environmental concerns within the city, Gamboa said.
The legislation allows for poultry dressing and processing to occur outside the AVM Bernardo Slaughterhouse in Handumanan, but under strict regulation.
This Gamboa-authored proposed guidelines strictly prohibits poultry operations without registration, improper poultry waste disposal mechanisms that will contaminate water bodies through its emission, use of antibiotics and growth enhancers banned by the FDA and farms operating within one kilometer of schools, hospitals, or residential areas.
The ordinance establishes a system of escalating penalties for non-compliance, ranging from P20,000 to P100,000 in fines. Penalties may also include mandatory clean-up orders, relocation, permanent closure, and legal action, Gamboa said.
The guidelines were developed in response to numerous complaints regarding foul odors, environmental pollution, and poor food handling practices, he added.*