The municipal council of La Trinidad, Benguet upheld the mayor’s decision to close the chicken dung trade operation in Barangay Shilan.
In its recent meeting, the town council adopted the committee on law’s recommendation for the mayor to close all chicken dung trading, distribution, and storage in the municipality.
The council’s decision serves as the town’s response to the letter of the Shilan Chicken Manure Truckers and Farmers Association to the mayor asking for the halting of the implementation of Resolution 141-2022 that mandates the closure of all businesses engaged in the storage and selling of chicken dung in the municipality.
“The documents submitted, that is, the request for extension etc. shall be treated as documents to be considered in aid of legislation should there be proposals to pass a chicken dung ordinance,” said committee on laws chair, Councilor Bartolome Baldas, Jr.
In a dialogue on Sept. 16, the council resolution was presented to the stakeholders in Shilan, which resulted in the agreement that the chicken dung operators should close their businesses by Sept. 30.
The operators instead wrote a letter dated Sept. 21 asking for a suspension in the implementation of the resolution, as they justified the storage of chicken manure has improved as almost all of the trucks have wing vans or canvases preventing the manure from getting wet during the rainy season, which causes the foul odor.
Baldas said closure of the chicken dung trade is not anchored on the resolution, but it expressed the sentiment of the municipal council.
Resolution 141-2022 cited the letters of protest by Shilan residents for the closure of these businesses due to the odor of the chicken manure.
It also cited the decision of the Court of Appeals in the case of La Trinidad against 20 individuals engaged in chicken dung business in Dengsi, Tomay and Shilan, where the CA upheld the lower court’s ruling that the chicken dung business in these areas is a nuisance.
In 1994, the Benguet RTC ordered the immediate ban on selling and storing chicken dung in the three areas.
In 2009, La Trinidad passed an ordinance regulating the sale of chicken dung in the municipality but the Benguet provincial board declared it as invalid due to the RTC’s decision.
Then mayor Gregorio Abalos issued Administrative Order 8-2010 on July 23, 2010 which prohibited the sale, disposal and storage of chicken dung in the municipality.
Mayor Romeo Salda said the council’s action further empowers the municipal government to close all the chicken dung businesses in Shilan. – Ofelia Empian
April 26, 2024
