Thursday, May 29, 2008 Talisay faces Tom’s challenge, to hasten abattoir documents
AMID Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña’s threat to sue the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS), Mayor Socrates Fernandez is confident they can comply with the requirements to obtain Talisay City abattoir’s double A accreditation in two months.
Instead of getting upset, Fernandez took Osmeña’s threat positively, saying it encouraged them more to expedite the City’s compliance with the NMIS requirements.
He surmised that his Cebu City counterpart was only concerned of the quality of livestock butchered at the City-run abattoir.
Accreditation
“I would say it’s a normal reaction for anyone who is concerned of the quality of our meat,” Fernandez added.
Meanwhile, Mayor Osmeña will pursue his plan to sue whoever approved the extension of the double A accreditation of Talisay City’s abattoir, saying his constituents will suffer the consequence of the supposed violations.
In a news conference, Osmeña pointed out that consumers from Cebu City will eventually suffer since 50 percent of the meat sold in the city comes from the abattoir in
Talisay.
He also said that Rep. Eduardo Gullas (Cebu, 1st district) should face and deal with the issue, which is the failure of the Talisay City Government to meet the standards
of the NMIS.
NMIS downgraded the abattoir’s accreditation to single A after it rated below 50 percent during a May 16 surprise inspection.
Consideration
However, it extended the abattoir’s double A accreditation for two months until it can meet the requirement.
“These rules were made for safety considerations, now you will bend the rules temporarily? Is this how the government works? There’s one rule for Talisay City and another rule for somebody else?” Osmeña told reporters.
Gullas drew the mayor’s ire anew after he reportedly helped secure the extension for the accreditation.
In a press statement, he dared Osmeña to sue him and criticized the mayor for making his contributions to Talisay appear like criminal acts.
“I have a very clear impression that Talisay City did not comply with the standards. They were given extra two months to comply... but technically, they are not accredited,” Osmeña said yesterday.
Meat from abattoirs with double A accreditation can be sold anywhere in the country while meat from slaughterhouses with single A accreditation can be sold only within the locality where the facility is located.
Talisay City reportedly supplies at least 50 percent of meat to Cebu City. The double A accreditation authorizes it to sell and deliver meat anywhere in the country.
Slaughterhouse
Had the NMIS not extended the double A status following its expiry on May 23, Talisay would have lessened its supply as it can only trade meat within the city.
Yesterday, Fernandez described as very positive his meeting with ranking officials of the slaughterhouse in his office past 9 a.m.
“The minor flaws can be corrected immediately. And I’m optimistic that all the requirements can be complied with within the two-month extension period,” Fernandez told Sun.Star Cebu.
Recently, Osmeña told the media that he planned to sue the NMIS officials before the anti-graft office for extending the double A accreditation of Talisay’s slaughterhouse.
Osmeña’s statement came apparently upon learning that Rep. Eduardo Gullas (Cebu, 1st district) helped in securing the NMIS’ approval for a two-month extension of the abattoir’s double A status.
Properties
Gullas and Osmeña had been at odds after Gullas, a former Talisay City mayor, claimed at least 53.44 hectares of Cebu City’s South Road Properties.
In turn, Osmeña prevented Talisay vendors from doing business in Cebu City, fired contractual employees, who live in Talisay, from Cebu City Hall and even questioned in court the legality of the Talisay cityhood.
“Make my day,” was Gullas’ reply, in a press statement, to Osmeña’s recent threat to sue him for helping in securing the NMIS’ approval.
Executions
Gullas took potshot at Osmeña for pretending to know the overall situation of the abattoir, while the latter “professes he doesn’t have a clue as to who perpetrated the nearly 200 summary executions in Cebu City.”
If Osmeña made good his legal threat, Fernandez, for his part, said the City has no other recourse but to answer him in a proper forum.
“And we’re ready for that,” Fernandez said. (GC/LCR)
