Capitol prepares charge vs. liempo store chain selling pork from Pasig City

The African Swine Fever (ASF) Task Force confiscated 1.2 tons of pork meat from the cold storage facility of a liempo store chain in Mandaue City. | Inquirer.net Photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Capitol’s African Swine Fever (ASF) Task Force is preparing to file charges against owners of a liempo store chain for refusing to have their cold storage facility in Barangay Casuntingan, Mandaue City inspected.

Provincial Veterinarian Dr. Mary Rose Vincoy, the ASF Task Force head, said they are now consulting the Provincial Legal Office on what charges to file against the management of the liempo store chain.

Vincoy said they confiscated a total of 1.2 tons of pork meat from the liempo chain’s Casuntingan cold storage facility which they sourced from Pasig City.

The meat was brought to the RRDS Petrochemical Industries Inc. facility in Barangay Umapad in Mandaue City this afternoon, October 21, 2019,  for burning in compliance with the recommendations of the National Meat Inspection Services in Central Visayas (NMIS-7).

She said that they are still awaiting advise from NMIS-7 on what to do with the chicken meat which they also confiscated from the Casuntingan cold storage facility.

Read More: ASF Task Force: Banned pork products from Luzon proliferate Cebu wet markets

Vincoy said that task force members first visited their cold storage facility on Friday, October 18, but personnel refused to heed the inspection notice from Capitol.

The inspection was organized after they received information that the liempo store chain sources their meat from a Manila-based supplier.

Vincoy said they had to repeatedly argue with cold storage personnel before they were allowed access into the facility.

During their inspection, Vincoy said they found a large volume of pork meat that were sourced from Pasig City.  Pork was kept in a storage facility together with chicken meat.

“We already referred to the Provincial Legal Office on the next step that we will take against them,” said Vincoy.

Read more: Cebu bans hogs from Luzon, processed pork products from Bulacan and Rizal

Vincoy said that the liempo store chain also failed to present shipments documents as well as proper inventory of their meat products when the task force returned to their cold storage facility earlier today, October 21.

“At first, they said nga six tons then three tons unya later on kay two tons ra kuno,” Vincoy said.

Governor Gwendolyn Garcia issued on September 11, 2019 Executive Order no. 16 which imposed a ban on live hogs, pork and other pork products coming from Luzon.

The ban was ordered to prevent the entry of ASF-infected meat here.

Provincial Board Members also passed an ordinance imposing a fine of up to P5,000 against individuals and businesses caught selling banned pork and pork products in Cebu to protect the P10.9 billion local industry.

According to data from the Bureau of Animal Industry, at least 62,000 hogs were already culled in the different provinces in Luzon as of October 16, 2019 due to suspected cases of ASF. / dcb