PH biggest, modern halal slaughterhouse gets green light from NMIS

COTABATO CITY -- All is set for the operation of the country's first halal slaughter house here after a test run of its equipment gets thumbs up sign from National Meat Inspection Services (NMIS), the city veterinarian today said. Dr. Robert Malcontento, Cotabato City veterinary chief, said the the Double A” Halal Slaughterhouse in Cotabato City impressed NMIS officials during the testing of all its equipment on Wednesday dawn. The 20-million peso facility has state-of-the-art stainless equipment which were all tested for the very first time as live cattle was brought there to be butchered and be sold to the market on the same day. Malcontento said all the equipment functioned well and are ready for operation. They were impressed that they give thumbs up signs, Malcontento said of the modern slaughter house facilities. All the equipment are ready, the slaughterhouse is ready, personnel are ready, he explainted to NMIS officials, led by Executive Director Dr. Minda Manantan and the NMIS Project Monitoring Team. Right after the test run, the officials already gave a go signal for the inauguration of the Halal Slaughterhouse, he said. Malcontento said the entire facility was already finished and complete. All the equipment are in place and functioning. It even has 16 CCTV Cameras in all strategic areas inside and outside the slaughterhouse, to ensure close monitoring of its operation, Malcontento said. We have already created the Manual of Operations for the Halal Slaughterhouse and it is still being studied by the Sangguniang Panglungsod, Malcontento said. This facility needs extra care as halal meat must meet certain standards and must be approved by the Halal Certification Board,” Malcontento said. He said the Manual contained all the operational guidelines, list of equipment, schedule of fees, and maintenance and sanitation of the Halal Slaughterhouse. Halal” means permissible in Islam and meat will not be certified as halal if the conditions of Islam are not met. Malcontento also explained that the Halal Slaughterhouse’s Manual of Operation contained the strict guidelines on animal slaughter. The sumbali” must be performed by a practicing Muslim. It is done by cutting the neck of the animal using a very sharp knife and it must be done with only one stroke without lifting the knife. The animal must also face the Qibla and its neck must not be broken or cut until the bleeding stops. The Halal Assurance and Monitoring Officer shall check the slaughtered animals to ensure that it is properly slaughtered and deemed dead in accordance with the Shari’ah Law. Cleanliness and proper sanitation must also be observed at all times, Malcontento said, adding that all these guidelines have already been checked and the city government has already hired butchers who are now undergoing a special training on how to operate several machinery in the facility. Mayor Japal J. Guiani, Jr. has announced that the Double A” Halal Slaughterhouse is set to be inaugurated and will beopened to the public on the last week of April. The grade, Double A,” means the facility has exceptional equipment and can cater to halal meat needs in all parts of the country. The first ever Halal Slaughterhouse is situated at Barangay Tamontaka Mother and was funded by the National Meat Inspection Services with counterparts from the City Government of Cotabato.