ONCE the land use plan of the Municipal Government of Tabuelan, Cebu is updated, poultry farms in the northern town will have to be relocated and/or built in the mountains to prevent health risks to residents nearby.
So said Mayor Raul Gerona, who said the flies that come with every harvest season have been a major concern.
“That is why we are drafting an ordinance for our Comprehensive Land Use Plan (Clup) so that poultry farms will be located in the mountains, not in residential areas,” Gerona told SunStar Cebu in a phone interview on May 18, 2020.
The problem though, is that these poultry farms have been operating for the past 15 years and have complied with all the requirements such as barangay resolutions, business permits and environmental compliance certificates from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
Gerona said the flies that come with every harvest season is a common problem in towns with poultry farms like Asturias.
He assured his constituents, though, that the Municipal Government is working on a plan that would isolate these poultry farms from residential areas.
He added that there was one poultry farm which he wanted closed since it was located near one of the town’s tourist spots, but the operator had complied with all the requirements.
Gerona said most of the areas in Tabuelan have been classified as an agricultural land for such a long time. That is why poultry farms have been in operation for decades.
He added that these poultry farms have become one of the town’s sources of income over the years.
There are six poultry farms spread across the town and some of these have communities living nearby.
With an updated Clup, Gerona said the Municipal Government would be able to properly identify which areas are considered residential, commercial and agricultural.
The mayor said he has been turning down applications to build and operate new poultry farms in the town because they want to wait for the updated Clup.
“Because of the demand for chicken nowadays, many people have been coming here to start a poultry farm but I denied them their request because the health of our residents is more important,” Gerona said.
On Sunday, May 17, a certain Lebe Aren called the attention of the Municipal Government through Facebook on the alleged infestation of flies in their area.
The netizen said the problem started since the poultry farm began harvesting.
“It’s a health hazard especially amid this pandemic,” wrote Aren.
Aren said they already raised their concern to the owner of the poultry farm in December 2019, but the situation has not improved since.
“I hope this will be given a long-term solution,” Aren added. (RTF)