Halal slaughterhouse in Davao City expected to be ready by March

DAVAO CITY — A halal slaughterhouse located in the city’s Baguio District is expected to be ready by March, while a new pig abattoir in the same area will also be opened within the year.

The halal slaughterhouse will be a “box-type” manual facility for goats, cows, and carabaos, according to Joseph L. Gabut, officer-in-charge of the city’s current slaughterhouse.

He said the facility will give “legitimacy” to meat vendors who claim to sell halal meat to the Muslim community.

“The meat vendors who claim to offer halal are being questioned over the legitimacy of their meat. Once we have that, we can produce authentic halal meats,” Mr. Gabut, speaking in mixed English and Filipino, said in an interview.

The slaughterhouse was funded by P5 million from the Department of Agriculture-Region 11 and P1 million counterpart funds from the local government.

Meanwhile, the P76 million modern slaughterhouse for hogs with food processing facilities is also targeted for completion within the year.

Mr. Gabut said the original plan was to have this facility ready also by March, but the equipment for waste water treatment has yet to be bid out.

The abattoir, with a floor area of 1,250 square meters, will have hog pens, manual and mechanized slaughtering areas, a blast freezer, storage, and processing equipment.

“You can also process meats, such as chorizo, tocino, bacon,” he said.

Minimal fees will be imposed for the use of the slaughterhouses, which will be managed by the city government for one year, after which it will be offered for a public-private partnership contract.

Mr. Gabut said the current slaughterhouse in the Ma-a area will likely be closed and relocated. —