ORANI, Bataan- Residents from two upland villages here on Sunday held a rally demanding the closure of a poultry farm that they pointed as the source of swarms of flies pestering them and their visitors.
The protesters from Barangays Pag-asa and Tala focused their ire and banged the closed gate of Richwin Farm located on a hill in Pag-asa. They carried placards while chanting “Isara ang poultry.”
Some of the placards read “Isara poultry ng langaw,” “Ganda ng kalikasan nawawala dahil sa langaw,” “Yes to kalusugan no to langaw,” “Hoy Intsik, nakakulambo na kami kung kumain,” “Ako naghain, langaw ang kumain,” among some others.
The farm allegedly belongs to a Chinese. The flies have reached even the beautiful Sinagtala Resort adjacent to the Bataan National Park in Tala that has weather and sceneries comparable to Tagaytay City.
Visitors complained of the flies going ahead of them in sipping kapeng barako and fresh buko juice common in the area. “Sobrang na-enganyo kami sa ganda ng resort pero na-disturb kami dahil sa dami ng langaw. Hindi pa nabubuksan ang pagkain namin, nilalangaw na,” said first time visitor Analyn.
She said that they were a bit disappointed not from the beauty of the place but because of too many flies. Some visitors used lighted candles on tables of food to drive away the flies. They ate while continuously fanning out the insects “Nakakakunsume ang mga langaw,” Luzviminda Sayas of Barangay Pag-asa said as she showed swarms of flies everywhere in her kitchen.
“Kung hindi kayang sinupin, isara na ang poultry, nakakaperhuwisyo na,” blurted 63-year-old Virgilio Sayas, Luzviminda’s husband. The couple reside some meters away from the gate of Richwin Farm. Dennis Cuadro, manager of Sinagtala Resort, said the poultry farm is a threat to tourism that is the thrust of the upland village.
“Perhuwisyo itong langaw. Hindi kami makatrabaho nang maayos, mga bisita nagrereklamo at maraming nagkakasakit,” said rallyist Virginia Laluna. She asked that the poultry farm be removed for their village to be clean again.
“Kahit anong sarap ng pagkain, hindi makakain dahil nauuna pa sa bibig ang isang tambak na langaw,” Melita Limbo, another rallyist, said Pag-asa Barangay Chairman Rudy Reyes charged the poultry farm for alleged neglect.
“Dapat sumunod sa mga disenyo ng health office para ma-kontrol ang mga langaw. Kung hindi sinusunod ang sistema para sa kapakanan ng mga residente, dapat nang ipatigil,” the village head said. He said that flies pester the residents from three to four days every harvest of chickens that is done every month.
Richwin Farm, one of four poultry farms in Pag-asa, reportedly has been in existence for three years. Henry delos Reyes, farm gate guard, said his bosses were out. “Malangaw dahil ka-haharvest. Itong Mayo dumami ang langaw,” he said.
The guard said the farm has five sets of poultry houses that can accommodate a total of 140,000 heads of chickens every harvest.
