A SLAUGHTERHOUSE is a facility where animals are slaughtered for human consumption.
From that real slaughterhouse, the slaughterhouse compound has expanded to include eateries in Baguio that could be ranked number 141 of 431 eateries by Trip advisor viewers.
It included stalls converted to dwelling places and vice versa dwelling places converted into commercial spaces. We went to eat there last week and enjoyed the Balajadia bulalo,tinuno, tortang talong, pakbet and the fish.
We were filled and then had ocular view of the place. It’s so disorganized where wagwag is beside a dirty canal, a store is inside the home and the homes dispose their waste into the creek.
No wonder that in few year ago, the council sought the help of the legal department on who is in charge of the slaughterhouse – is it the Treasurer or the City Veterinarian and the legal office came up with a statement – neither because it is the city.
It is rather a very vague answer since it hides in the faceless government. The Treasury and the City Veterinary is part of the city under the office of the executive, the mayor.
Following the chain of command, then the buck stops on the head of the mayor. And if it is very vague on who should take leadership on the situation in the past, then we now see the result of the vagueness, the slaughter house has become what it is today - chaos.
There is a portion with the bunkhouse which was for city employees, according to reports years ago, these bunkhouses are no longer habituated by city employees. Even retired city employees never left their previous abode.
There is also a portion where the barangay officials designated it as their fund raising portion and have it rented out with the reason that the allowance they receive from government is not enough and so they fund raise to augment their income.
The hog raisers are at odds with the city veterinarian over the positioning of the comfort room. It is agreed that they need a comfort room but the hog raisers don’t want to move or reposition their stores to accommodate the toilet.
For years this has been a squabble and maybe this is why there is a very vague opinion of city hall on who is in charge of the slaughter house compound.
The property which originally spans from Magsaysay Avenue up to the City Health Center is no longer properly managed. A portion of it has already been segregated cutting the connection of the slaughterhouse compound to City health center.
Portions of the property has been leased but never was able to collected which amounted to millions. Millions if it had been collected could have been used in improving the place and providing necessary waste disposal facilities and better roads and buildings.
There is a fresh breath of air in the city of Baguio with the new administration and new energy that hopes to make right some of the wrongs while pointing out why it is wrong.
We have to do it right and do it now. I have introduced a resolution requesting that the national government cede the property to the city of Baguio; the city council just passed it. Now it is in the hands of the executive and the Congress how we can make it happen.