Cenro investigates chicken entrails thrown in Inayawan transfer station 

Internal organs of poultry has been thrown into the garbage truck assigned to Barangay Paril in Cebu City. The innards have been brought to the transfer station in Barangay Inayawan. | Photo courtesy of Ramil Ayuman

CEBU CITY, Philippines —The Cebu City Environment and Natural Resources Office (Cenro) is investigating a truckload of chicken’s internal organs being thrown at the transfer station in Barangay Inayawan here.

The truck is a city-owned dumping truck assigned to haul garbage from Barangay Paril to the transfer station. 

According to Jordan Ambohot, one of the staff of the transfer station, the chicken organs have been thrown along with other biodegradable trash every night for a period of at least three months. 

He said the smell was strong and putrid as these internal organs, including intestines, brains, and gal bladders, begin to decay. 

On Friday dawn, January 23, 2020, another truck carried more than five big sacks of internal organs, causing a putrid smell to permeate around the area. 

Cenro head, Lawyer Junine Aragones, said they have began investigating these trash because internal organs of animals from the likes of poultry or hog farms cannot be thrown into any landfill. 

These farm wastes must be taken into a waste treatment facility where they can be disposed off sanitarily. 

Aragones said these types of wastes can be harmful to the public becausing rotting organs is food for disease-carrying insects and organisms, which may spread bacteria and virus to the nearby settlements. 

“We need to find out who threw away these organs. We will definitely file charges,” he said. 

Aragones said charges for violating laws on environment and solid waste management will be filed against the poultry farm and its owners.

Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella ordered the City Legal Office to investigate the possibility that Paril barangay officials are involved in the throwing of the chicken innards as he received reports that an official owned a poultry farm.  

He said the matter must be investigated to find out if a government or barangay official used government property for his business, in this case throwing a poultry farm’s wastes. 

The mayor reminded the officials that government vehicles cannot be used for personnal business, especially for taking out waste from establishments owned by these officials. /bmjo