By MERLINDA A. PEDROSA

The Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) will evaluate the request of AVM Bernardo Slaughterhouse’s private operator for a 10-year extension of its build-operate-transfer contract.

Councilor Homer Bais, SP committee on slaughterhouse chairperson, said yesterday they will wait for the official document from the slaughterhouse before the council begins reviewing the request.

Bais said AVM Bernardo should improve its services, including the establishment of a chicken processing line, which was also stipulated in the contract but has yet to be complied with.

The councilor said Mayor Greg Gasataya has secured an allocation of funds from the national government for the construction of a new slaughterhouse for the city.

“For now, it is up to the city government to identify a new location for the city’s slaughterhouse,” Bais said.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) suggested that the new slaughterhouse be built in a less populated area.

The DA has initially allocated at least P100 million for the construction of the new abattoir.

Earlier, City Legal Officer Karol Joseph Chiu said AVM plant manager Aileen Grace Aldeguer submitted a request letter to Gasataya seeking an extension of the authority to operate the facility.

The extension would allow the abattoir to recover its investments and the losses it incurred during its previous operations.

The slaughterhouse’s contract is set to expire on August 31, 2028./MAP, WDJ