First Manhattan and Department of Agriculture Formally Inaugurate the First AAA Abattoir in Batangas, Offers Cold Storage Facilities for COVID-19 Vaccine Storage for Batangas Province
Last January 23, 2021, First Manhattan Integrated Management Corporation, together with the Department of Agriculture, formally inaugurated the very first AAA-class abattoir in Batangas, located in Lipa City.
Secretary William Dar personally inaugurated the site, that includes hog and cattle processing and cold storage facilities. Secretary Dar commended the international standard facilities and processes, calling this a wise investment to ensure national food security.
City Veterinarian Dr. Samuel Comia has also commended the facilities, and that with its accreditation as a AAA facility, will allow the City of Lipa to have access not only to timely services to cater to the local hog industry, but also close collaboration with the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) in combatting the African Swine Flu (AFS) disease that has affected the livelihood of local hog raisers.
NMIS Regional Director Dr. Fernando Lontoc asked hog raisers for their cooperation to immediately declare any infections in order to prevent rapid spread of the AFS virus, and that the agency is available for consultation on best practices to avoid AFS from entering hog raising facilities.
In the same event, Sec. Dar called on raisers, traders, and other stakeholders of the industry to provide fair pricing for meat products to not be a burden to end consumers. Sec. Dar has also mentioned that their agency will be suppling rapid test kits for faster detection of infections, as well as budget for the purchase of vaccines being developed in Vietnam and the United Kingdom.
First Manhattan President Armando Casabal has expressed his gratitude to the Department of Agriculture and NMIS in their support and guidance for proper AAA accreditation, and as support to the nationwide COVID-19 response, has offered that the cold storage facilities be used for storage of any COVID-19 vaccines that may be acquired by private or local government authorities to ease any logistical burdens for administration once the vaccines arrive.
