Carcar LGU faces raps over piggery closure

CEBU, Philippines – The Carcar City government is facing civil charges before the Regional Trial Court over the closure of a piggery in Barangay Liburon.

Patrick Niño Vincent Lim Chio, a resident of St. San Antonio Villages, Apas, Cebu City, alleged that his piggery business was padlocked by Mayor Nicepuro Apura without due process.

He claimed that he never received a final notice of closure.

“Notably, the final notice was not actually served or delivered to plaintiff and was not actually and officially received by the plaintiff. As a matter of fact, plaintiff’s signature does not appear in the said final notice,” the complaint read.

Chio is now seeking for the issuance of a temporary restraining order to allow him or his workers to feed or provide food, water, care and attention to their pigs and livestock inside the piggery.

He added after hearing of the case, a preliminary injunction will be issued against the defendants.

Chio said before he engaged in the piggery business, he was involved in the poultry business but had to close it because it was not profitable.

He attempted to secure licenses from Barangay Liburon as a requirement to secure a business permit from the city government of Carcar but barangay officials allegedly gave excuses not to issue the same.

Chio said he went to the city government to secure a business permit but he was told to secure first a barangay clearance. He added the Department of Environment and Natural Resources has already issued a license and clearance.

He said there was no record that would prove that residents in Barangay Liburon got sick or were hospitalized because of the piggery operations.

Apura allegedly issued a final notice of closure on September 8 which gave Chio seven days to close the piggery.

On September 16, 2015, the piggery was padlocked on the ground of serious health hazard. Chio allegedly asked Apura for a reasonable time to transfer his pigs and livestock to a new farm but to no avail.

He said the piggery was padlocked, leaving their pigs and livestock without food, water, and attention.

Chio thus asked the court to enjoin the defendants to allow them to feed their pigs and not restrain his workers who lived in the compound from entering and exiting the premises. —/VLA (FREEMAN)