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Tension erupted between Manila city government operatives and the
operators of a slaughterhouse in Vitas when a city councilor and his
sister were forcibly took out of their office after being served a
closure order on the said establishment in Tondo, Manila on Friday.
Manila city officials headed by Manila city
legal chief lawyer Renato de la Cruz, along with Manila Police
District-Special Project Unit operatives led by Tondo station chief,
Supt. Alex Guttierez, went to the slaughterhouse at around 9 a.m. to
serve the order against Dealco slaughterhouse president Delfin
Alcoriza.
Delfin is the father of Manila City Councilor
Dennis Alcoriza.
Delfin, Dennis and the councilor’s sister,
Joy, who stands as the company’s executive vice president,
actually asked for a 10-day period to inventory their materials.
However, city hall operatives refused to grant
the request and forcibly took out Dennis and Joy from the
establishment. Delfin went out on his own will.
The closure order was served on grounds that the
firm failed to pay their taxes, allegedly hid their financial
statements and had no business permit
Dealco’s contract of operation is under the
jurisdiction of Manila.
The Manila operatives saw firsthand the state of
disrepair and neglect of the slaughterhouse that teemed with animal
manure and blood, most of which were being dumped in the Manila Bay.
An order signed by Mayor Alfredo Lim of Manila
actually cited the various violations of Dealco on the lease
agreement, among them the lack of proper sanitary facilities and
dumping of animal manure on the bay.
Under the agreement with the city hall, Dealco
committed to modernize the facilities and equipment but this never
happened, de la Cruz said.
The city government was reportedly informed
about the conditions of the abattoir by the National Meat Inspection
Commission.
De la Cruz also said Dealco subleased part of
the facility to Meatworld International Inc., which established a
physical fitness facility, which is a violation of their contract
with the city hall.
It was also discovered that that Meatworld, duly
registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission, earned over
P1.5 billion in 2006 and over P1.3 billion in 2007. One of the board
members of Meatworld is Dennis Alcoreza.
-- Ruben D. Manahan 4th with Rommel C. Lontayao
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