• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
San Carlos City in Negros Occidental got a new slaughterhouse, which is expected to boost the food safety and support the local livestock industry.
Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson, assisted by Mayor Renato Gustilo, Provincial Engineer Ernie Mapa and former Rep. Gerardo Valmayor, led the blessing and inauguration of the facility at the City Agricultural Compound in Barangay Rizal on May 22, marking another milestone in the province’s efforts to strengthen food safety and support the local livestock industry.
The abattoir is among the several strategically established slaughterhouses across Negros Occidental aimed at ensuring safe, hygienic, and regulated meat processing for public consumption.
According to the provincial government, the facility is expected to enhance sanitation and meat inspection standards while promoting responsible waste management and supporting the province’s growing livestock economy.
The project was implemented under the Department of Agriculture-led Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP), with funding support from the World Bank and the provincial government.
Aside from San Carlos City, six other local government units (LGUs), including Murcia, Hinoba-an, Cauayan, Binalbagan, Toboso and E.B. Magalona, responded to the province’s call for slaughterhouse projects, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz II.
The LGUs underwent workshops and simultaneously prepared project proposals and feasibility studies, all of which passed the review process of the World Bank and the PRDP.
Lacson emphasized that Negros Occidental remains one of the country’s largest backyard hog-raising provinces, supporting a multibillion-peso hog industry and playing a significant role in hog repopulation efforts.
He noted that the establishment of modern abattoirs across the province will further strengthen the livestock sector while ensuring the safety and quality of meat products for consumers. | GB
