By Nimfa L. Estrellado Pagbilao Mayor Angelica Portes-Tatlonghari directs department heads and barangay captains at the Municipal Hall on Th...
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| Pagbilao Mayor Angelica Portes-Tatlonghari directs department heads and barangay captains at the Municipal Hall on Thursday, mandating stricter enforcement and legislative reforms to finally address the chronic fly infestation plaguing several poultry-heavy barangays. (Alagang Mayor Ate Gigi Portes) |
PAGBILAO, Quezon – A plague of flies and a sickening odor have made daily life "tremendously difficult" for many residents here, who have taken to social media to voice their frustration. In affected barangays, complaints are bitter, with some residents resorting to sticky flypaper and mousetraps in a desperate attempt to combat the swarm.
Following widespread public concern, local government officials, led by Mayor Angelica Portes-Tatlonghari, convened an urgent meeting at the Municipal Hall with affected barangay leaders on Thursday, September 25, 2025, to re-evaluate and strengthen regulatory measures against poultry farm operations linked to the persistent pestilence.
The recurrence of the problem confirms the ineffectiveness of previous measures, including a discussion held with some farm owners and committee members on September 5. One barangay captain reported that a municipal staff inspection occurred as recently as the first week of August, yet the issue reemerged.
To remedy this, she suggested that farms should implement staggered harvesting schedules to facilitate the identification and penalization of negligent operators, arguing that compliant owners are unfairly affected by the violations of others. This system would ensure that accountability is clearly fixed to specific operations immediately following their waste generation period.
The discussion also recognized proactive local steps Barangays like Ibaba and Ilaya Bagong Bunga, which house a total of five poultry farms, had already formed a Joint Committee Inspection Team in the last week of July or first week of August. Composed of barangay councilors and an NGO representative, was tasked with synchronized inspections after each harvest. However, officials stressed the need to involve other poultry-heavy areas—specifically naming Tukalan, Talipan, and Antipolo—to achieve comprehensive monitoring.
Mayor Portes-Tatlonghari opened the session by stressing the necessity of collective responsibility, which framed the high-level dialogue focused on establishing concrete, long-term solutions for sanitation and public health concerns. Key attendees included representatives from the Municipal Health Office (MHO), the Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office (MENRO), and operators of the town’s largest poultry farms.
The meeting, held at the Municipal Hall, quickly highlighted the primary obstacle to enforcement: the difficulty in pinpointing the exact source of the flies. Barangay representatives noted that concurrent harvesting schedules across multiple farms allow negligent operators to evade identification, leading to repeated, inconclusive complaints from local residents.
“The economic activity of our poultry farms is vital, but it cannot come at the expense of our residents' health and comfort, we will implement the law, but we must first ensure the ordinances are fixed so they have teeth. If there is a need to amend the ordinances to include provisions for closure after repeated violations, we will do it.” Mayor Tatlonghari said.
Mayor Portes-Tatlonghari followed reports detailing historical weaknesses in enforcement, admitting that the current regulatory framework was failing to curb persistent violators. Recognizing the persistent failure of previous, lesser actions, the Mayor shifted the discussion toward long-term legislative solutions.
“I know that even with regular monitoring and violations being served, this phenomenon is still occurring. That is why we must strengthen the ordinances to give us the power to act decisively.” She assured the barangay officials, “I can promise you all, I will not abdicate my responsibility on this issue. We will address this head-on, because at the end of the day, this is a problem for the entire municipality of Pagbilao.”
MENRO presented findings indicating that inadequate manure management and waste disposal protocols at certain farms were the primary culprits behind the fly population surge. Several key action points were agreed upon, MENRO and MHO will conduct unannounced Immediate Sanitation Audits of all poultry farms over the next two weeks to ensure strict adherence to sanitation and waste management standards.
Farm operators are now mandated to implement a scheduled, comprehensive Mandatory Larvicide Application and pest control program across all their facilities. Affected barangay councils will establish a Barangay Monitoring system to track the density of the fly population and immediately report any spikes to the Municipal Agriculture Office.
The next step is to address the challenge of enforcement the mayor mandated the Sangguniang Bayan (SB) to revisit and amend existing ordinances to provide them with robust enforcement mechanisms. She specifically noted that current laws lack provisions for permanent closure and clarity on accumulated violations, which has historically protected persistent violators.
Poultry owners must now submit their harvesting schedules to the LGU immediately, per an order from Mayor Portes-Tatlonghari. The Mayor adopted the measure following recommendations from barangay leaders to bolster regulatory monitoring. The municipal government will hold a follow-up session next month with barangay leaders, farm owners, and LGU staff to solidify the new compliance effort.
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