Quezon City shuts down 3 markets over 'hot meat'

MANILA, Philippines - Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista has ordered the closure of three privately owned markets in Balintawak for continuing to sell double-dead meat products more commonly known as “botcha.”

The three are MC Market, Riverview Market and Cloverleaf Market, which are reportedly being used as “bagsakan” or distribution centers for the prohibited meat products, according to the veterinary office.

There are about six privately owned markets operating in Balintawak. The “hot meat” are said to be from the nearby provinces of Bulacan and Nueva Ecija.

Bautista ordered the revocation of the market and sanitary inspection permits to the market owners upon recommendation of city veterinarian Dr. Ana Marie Cabel.

The revocation is issued pending the operators’ compliance with existing rules and regulations on sanitation and safety of the public. The operators can re-apply for the permits once they have complied with standards and proved that they have stopped the sale of the hot meat products.

The city mayor earlier ordered inspectors from the city health department to intensify their monitoring efforts to rid the city of unsafe meat, especially in the Balintawak area. Records show that since September this year, authorities have seized 10 tons of botcha in the Balintawak area.

Authorities said the illegal trade of “botcha” reaches its peak during the holiday season, when the demand for pork products is very high. The trade in prohibited meat also increases during the rainy season when hogs are more susceptible to respiratory diseases.