THE Cagayan de Oro City Veterinary Office filed on Monday, August 3, charges against a lechon store owner for disobedience to persons of authority and operating without meat inspection certificate.
The owner of the lechon stall in Marlags, Barangay Canitoan was arrested by the police on Monday, August 3, and will be facing multiple cases for violation of Republic Act (RA) 9296 or the Meat Inspection Code of the Philippines, disobedience to persons of authority, and for violating the city ordinance on liquor ban.
The same charges will be filed against one of the owner's lechoneros who ran amok and tried to attack the meat inspectors.
All of the meat inspectors are safe and unharmed, but the lechonero is still at large, the veterinary office said.
The lechon stall owner was among those whose pork lechon was confiscated last Sunday, August 2, for violating the Meat Inspection Code.
Over 80 kilograms of pork lechon and 44 kilograms of fresh pork meat were confiscated from lechon stores in Barangays Bulua, Iponan, Patag and Canitoan after they failed to present the Meat Inspection Certificate.
Failure to present the said certificate means that the pigs were slaughtered outside of the designated slaughterhouse of the city located in Barangay Cugman, according to the City Veterinary Office.
Under the Meat Inspection Code, food animals intended for human consumption shall only be slaughtered at the local government-run slaughterhouse.
This is to ensure that the meat has passed and appropriately branded by an inspector as safe and wholesome and in which no changes due to disease, decomposition or contamination have subsequently been found.
Any carcasses, parts of carcasses or products of carcasses found to have been prepared, handled, packed, stored, transported or offered for sale as human food not in accordance with any provisions of the Republic Act 9296 shall be confiscated and disposed of as provided in the Implementing Rules and Regulations at the expense of the person, firm or corporation found to be in violation thereof.
The violators may face a fine of not more than P500,000 and prohibition from conducting business.
"We are doing this to ensure that the food the public will consume is safe," City Veterinarian Dr. Lucien Anthony Acac said.
Acac added that those planning to start a lechon business in the city should visit the veterinary office to consult and learn the processes involved.
The City Veterinary Office reminds the public that they are not prohibited from doing business in Cagayan de Oro as long as it is done in a legal manner.