Governor Arthur Defensor Jr. led the ceremonial turnover of a P59.9-million state-of-the-art Double-A abattoir to the local government of Oton, promising not just cleaner meat but also economic opportunities.
“We want our slaughterhouse to be clean because in a few days, we might just come here to enjoy freshly cooked linágá,” said Defensor, drawing laughter from the crowd at Sitio So-oc, Brgy. Lambuyao.
The modern slaughterhouse, built under the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP), aims to ensure safe, quality meat for Ilonggos and support the recovery of the swine industry devastated by the African Swine Fever (ASF).
Oton logged the first ASF case in the province and suffered significant losses.
During the turnover on Monday, July 21, Defensor was joined by officials from the Department of Agriculture and the provincial government as well as local executives from Oton and nearby municipalities.
Certified “AA” by the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS), the facility adheres to national standards on food safety and biosecurity. Defensor emphasized that keeping the facility clean is key not only to ensuring meat quality but also to attracting domestic tourists.
“We should maintain the cleanliness of our slaughterhouse so we could cater to domestic tourists,” he said.
The abattoir can process 16 swine per hour and 12 heads of cattle per day. It is expected to serve not only Oton but also nearby towns including Alimodian, Tigbauan, San Miguel, Pavia, and Iloilo City.
For Defensor, the slaughterhouse also marks the beginning of new economic opportunities for locals.
“We’ll come here by 5 a.m. for linágá. Prepare it for us,” he said with a smile, noting his weekend habit of visiting the Oton public market.
The project involved the construction of a 352-square meter slaughterhouse, a 232-meter perimeter fence, a 163-square meter holding pen, and a 62.5-square meter boiler room.
Funding support was shared by the World Bank with P38.525 million (64.29%), the Iloilo Provincial Government with P16.578 million (27.67%), and the Department of Agriculture with P4.815 million (8.04%).IMT
