Inventory reveals 103 piggeries in the City

BAGUIO CITY – By the end of June, 103 piggeries in fourteen (14) barangays, with a total of 866 heads have been inventoried by the city inter-agency task force on piggeries.Administrative Order 43, 2018, issued by Mayor Mauricio Domogan created an inter-agency task force to inventory the existence of piggeries in the barangays and come up with appropriate recommendations to prevent air and water pollution caused by backyard piggeries.The inter-agency task force is composed of the City Environment and Parks Management Officer (CEPMO) as chairperson, City Health Services Officer as Action Officer and member-representatives from the City Veterinary, City Building Office, Environmental Management Bureau (EMB-CAR), Cordillera Office of the Housing Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB-CAR).In Gibraltar barangay, 257 heads in 26 piggeries were counted, while in Pacdal, there were 16 piggeries with 168 heads; St. Joseph, 12 piggeries with 75 heads; Outlook Drive 8 with 101 heads; Holyghost Extension, 18 piggeries with 94 heads; Balsigan, 22 piggeries with 168 heads; and Holy Ghost Proper, 2 piggeries with 3 heads; and a piggery in Brookside barangay has since stopped.Honeymoon Holyghost, Cabinet Hill, Engineers Hill, DPS compound, Marcoville, and Imelda Village barangays were visited but no pigs were listed in a report by Environmental Management Specialist Pastor Ba-awa.It was also noted in the report that the piggeries which are within residential areas, have stopped with assistance from the city government. Other hog-raisers have improved their pigpens and turned these into sari-sari stores, additional rooms, or boarding houses.The AO is anchored on the Philippine Clean Water Act (RA 8749); which delves on the protection and advancement of peoples’ rights to a balanced and healthful ecology with sustainable development, and a responsibility of every citizen.The Philippine Water Act (RA 9275) echoes this, stating that the state should pursue economic growth but with the “protection, preservation and revival of the quality of our fresh, brackish, and marine waterA provision of the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board also prescribes that piggeries are not allowed in highly urbanized places, including Baguio City./Julie G Fianza