PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan — The City Council has banned the selling and serving of exotic meat dishes in local dining establishments in Puerto Princesa City.
The Council approved the “Endangered or Exotic Meat Ban Ordinance” in a bid to protect the Palawan’s wildlife.
Among the commonly served meat products in restaurants covered by the ban were the Palawan Bearded Pig (baboy damo), the Palawan monitor lizard (bayawak) and the grouper species “senyorita.”
Authored by Councilor Jonjie Rodriguez, the city policy will help the national government implement the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act of 2001, as well as the Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998.
“Being the country’s last ecological frontier, it is the responsibility of the city government to initiate measures to protect and conserve wildlife species in order to maintain a healthy and balanced ecology,” he said.
In addition, the ban also covers the entire list of endangered species identified in the Philippine Wildlife Act, as determined in the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD) Resolution 15-521, “the updated list of threatened terrestrial and marine wildlife in Palawan.”
Establishments, however, may seek a permit from relevant government agencies that will grant them exemption from the coverage of the ordinance.
Restaurateurs found selling or serving the banned meat without the said permit will be fined PHP1,000 to PHP5,000, with the possibility of business license revocation in the third offense.
The city government in coordination with the PCSD, Department of Environment and Natural Resources and Department of Agriculture and other enforcement authorities are enjoined to implement the ban. (PNA)
