SAMAL, Bataan: The municipal government here announced the temporary closure of two poultry farms in the town because of severe fly infestation.

Mayor Alex Acuzar issued the cease and desist order and temporary closure of the farm operation for six months and the temporary suspension of the business permit from Aug. 10, 2022 to Jan. 10, 2023, according to provincial and municipal ordinances.

The mayor said that upon hearing of the complaints of residents, they conducted an investigation and found out that the poultry farms could not control the influx of flies.

Acuzar said there are six poultry establishments in Samal but the two were the subject of many complaints while the rest have none. Mostly affected, he said, are villagers from Barangay Ibaba and Sapa.

“Although kailangan natin ang negosyo, pero mas mahalaga pa rin ng mga tao dahil nakakaapekto ito sa kalusugan. Ang mga langaw ay nagiging sanhi ng sakit at nakakaapekto ng quality of living ng mga tao sa paligid. Dahil sa dami ng nagrereklamo, kailangang umaksiyon ang munisipyo (Although we need the business, the health of the residents are far more important because fly infestation can cause diseases and affect the residents’ quality of living. Due to many complaints, the municipality must take necessary action),” the mayor said.

Acuzar said he does not want to close any establishment but the poultry farms should follow municipal and provincial ordinances.

He also urged his constituents to be responsible for the cleanliness of their surroundings. The residents welcomed the move of their mayor who is on his first term.

“Grabe ang dami ng langaw sa amin. Kaya lang kaunti ngayon ay gawa nang nag-spray ako ng insecticide. Hindi kami makakain ng maayos at minsan ay nagkukulambo kami para makakain at kinukulambuan namin ang aming pagkain (There are a lot of flies in our area that we could no longer eat properly. We just use insecticide to lessen their numbers. Sometimes, we have to use a mosquito net to take our meals),” Virginia Mosquera said.

Another resident, Rochelle de Guzman, admitted that the poultry farms are of help to the community’s livelihood, but they should clean and treat their waste materials properly.