Fresnedi kin to defy slaughterhouse shutdown order

MANILA, Philippines - The owners of the slaughterhouse that Muntinlupa City government ordered shut down said they will not comply with the notice issued to them.

Daniel Presnedi, owner of the Presnedi Slaughterhouse, said they have been continuously doing business despite an order by the city’s Business Permit and Licensing Office (BPLO) for them to suspend operations.

Presnedi, younger brother of ex-mayor Jaime Fresnedi, failed to submit documentary requirements for the slaughterhouse’s business permit. The city’s public information office said the ex-mayor chose to use “Fresnedi” instead of his family’s original surname.

Though Presnedi admitted that they lack pertinent documents needed for them to be allowed to operate, he said they are trying to address the problem but that “the city government just would not give them consideration and immediately ordered for the suspension of their business’ operations.”

“For one, we already applied for an occupancy permit. But it seemed like it’s taking them forever to issue us a new one,” he lamented.

Presnedi alleged that politics could be the reason why the city government is bent on closing down their business. “It is no wonder why it turned out that our relatives who also have businesses in the city also lack requirements since they are also not being issued the necessary permits,” he added.

Fresnedi, the former mayor, is a political rival of incumbent Mayor Aldrin San Pedro.

BPLO chief Rodolfo Oliquino said the establishment will be allowed to open only when its owners are “able to comply with all the documents needed for the approval of their permit renewal.”

In its letter to Presnedi, the BPLO said the application for business permit of the slaughterhouse is temporarily held “pending submission of documentary requirements” deemed vital to the operation.

If Presnedi fails to comply, the BPLO said it shall issue a closure order to shut down the slaughterhouse. Oliquino said his office can no longer grant another 15-day grace period as it noted that the slaughterhouse is “affecting the health and safety not only of the consumers but also of the ecological balance and environmental protection of the community.”

However, Presnedi said that the establishment is equipped with a functional wastewater treatment system.

Presnedi was earlier told to submit a clearance or certificate from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Laguna Lake Development Authority, sanitary and health offices, among others.

More than 200 residents of San Guillermo street, where the slaughterhouse is located, said despite a closure order issued by the DENR in April 2008, the slaughterhouse continues to operate.   – Rhodina Villanueva