THE Davao City Council has approved, on second reading, a proposal to impose fees for slaughtering rabbits in city slaughterhouses, giving local raisers a legal way to process their animals under national inspection standards.
The council approved the amendment to Section 383 of the city's 2017 Revenue Code during its regular session on Tuesday, Oct. 13.
Maximo Macalipes Jr., manager of the City Economic Enterprise (CEE), told councilors that rabbit raisers seeking meat certification from the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) had to bring their animals elsewhere because the city lacked an ordinance and facility specifically for rabbit slaughter.
"Their only concern is that they cannot transport (the rabbits), or they will ask for an NMIC, dapat legal naman (it should be legal)," Macalipes said.
Rabbits were not included in the 2017 Revenue Code because national standards for rabbit meat inspection and slaughter were not yet in place, according to a report by the Committee on Finance, Ways and Means, and Appropriations, chaired by Councilor Danilo Dayanghirang.
Under the proposed rates, each rabbit brought to a city slaughterhouse will incur a 50-cent permit fee, a ₱43 slaughter fee, a ₱1 corral fee, a ₱2 washing fee, and a ₱2 weighing fee. The animal will also be subject to separate ₱50 fees for antemortem and postmortem inspections.
Macalipes said the city set the rates after consulting the Rabbit Meat Association, the NMIS, and the city veterinarian.
"Yes, the recommended fees for rabbit slaughtering are fair and enough because we conducted consultations with the Rabbit Meat Association together with NMIS and the city vet," he said.
The CEE expects to process about 30 rabbits weekly at the outset, generating an estimated ₱78,000 in annual collections, according to the committee report.
Macalipes could not provide the number of rabbit farms operating in Davao City but said more raisers could enter the business once the city makes slaughtering services available.
"Initially, we were looking at, atong gi-mention earlier na 78,000, medyo gamay lang siya na income. However, we will just be supporting na mag-thrive pud na na business ang rabbit meat production (Initially, we were looking at the ₱78,000 we mentioned earlier, which is relatively small income. However, we will support the rabbit meat production business so it can also thrive)," he said.
Demand for rabbit meat comes mainly from local meat shops and restaurants, Macalipes added. The CEE has already conducted an initial rabbit slaughter at the city's halal slaughterhouse with help from the rabbit meat association. The city government first reported a trial run in March 2025.
To encourage more farmers to raise rabbits, the council accepted an amendment from Councilor Ralph Abella to waive the weighing fee for one year after the ordinance takes effect. Abella had earlier proposed exempting rabbit raisers from the fees for the first few years.
"Tagaan nato sila og one to three years free and then after that, i-impose na nato ang fees (We should give them one to three years without fees before imposing the charges)," Abella said.
Macalipes said the CEE would also comply with Department of Agriculture Administrative Order 35, series of 2021, after Councilor Ragde Niño Ibuyan Jr. reminded the council that rabbit processing must be humane and sanitary. Rabbits must also come from farms certified under Good Animal Husbandry Practices.
In September 2025, the Department of Agriculture in Davao Region and the Davao Rabbit Meat Association held a seminar on rabbit farming and production for livestock farmers. Karl Laurence Pineda, the agency's livestock program focal person, said rabbit raising could help improve food security, provide additional income for farmers, and offer consumers another meat option.
Council raises washing, chilling fees
In a separate ordinance, the council increased washing fees at city slaughterhouses from ₱10 to ₱20 per head for hogs and goats, and from ₱10 to ₱50 per head for cattle and carabao.
It also reduced the chilling fee for large cattle from ₱200 to ₱100 per quarter of a beef carcass.
“For large cattle, the present fee is ₱200,” Dayanghirang said.
Dayanghirang said the increases would help the CEE cover rising operating costs amid inflation and continued spending on its facilities. Existing rates were no longer sufficient to cover the cost of operating the chilling facilities, he said.
City slaughterhouses generated ₱33.9 million in revenue in 2024, up 3.61 percent from ₱32.8 million in 2023, the city government reported in March 2025. The Malagos halal and nonhalal slaughterhouses accounted for ₱20.8 million, while the Maa Slaughterhouse generated ₱13.1 million. GRS