ABOUT 65 kilos of “hot meat” were seized by operatives of Bacolod City’s Task Force Botagoy in Purok Gracia, Barangay Singcang-Airport on February 10.

Executive Assistant Ernie Pineda, cluster head on markets, said in an interview on Monday, February 12, that the task force intercepted the tricycle driven by Resty Navarro, 20, loaded with illegally slaughtered meat.

He said the “hot meat” did not undergo inspection at the AVM Bernardo Slaughterhouse, which is violation of City Ordinance 459.

Navarro, a resident of Barangay Alijis, was about to deliver the “hot meat” to customers, but failed to present a meat inspection certificate.

The confiscated commodity, which costs P15,600, was burned and buried in the city’s slaughterhouse grounds.

Pineda said the task force, headed by Rex Juplo, is intensifying its operations to arrest vendors who refused to use the services the AVM Bernardo-run city slaughterhouse in Barangay Handumanan.

“We will arrest erring meat vendors to stop the illegal slaughtering for the health benefits of the consumers,” he said.

Pineda urged meat vendors to engage the services of the slaughterhouse and voluntarily surrender spoiled meat.

Juplo earlier said the National Meat Inspection Service disallowed the distribution of the confiscated meat to any organization or individual because these failed to pass inspections.