ILOILO, Philippines — A suspension order has temporarily stopped operations at a controversial poultry farm in Tigbauan, Iloilo, but residents of neighboring Barangay Linobayan say temporary relief is no longer enough.
Their demand is now unmistakable: they want GT Poultry Farm permanently closed.
The dispute, driven by long-running complaints of foul odor and fly infestation allegedly linked to the facility in Barangay Sipitan, has escalated far beyond an ordinary neighborhood nuisance case. Nine Linobayan barangay officials have submitted resignation letters, legal cases have been filed against some residents and officials, environmental compliance questions remain unresolved, and the municipal government has now ordered the farm to stop operating until a series of conditions are met.
Residents: Suspension Is Only Temporary Relief
Tigbauan Mayor Virgilio Teruel issued an immediate suspension order against GT Poultry Farm on August 28 after persistent complaints from communities surrounding the facility and findings that some mitigation measures recommended by the Environmental Management Bureau Region 6 had not yet been fully implemented.
For Linobayan residents and officials, however, the order does not settle the bigger question: what happens if the farm is eventually allowed to reopen?
Barangay officials have publicly maintained that permanent closure, rather than another temporary shutdown, is their preferred solution. They argue that the controversy has continued for too long and has affected residents’ comfort and well-being.
That frustration is partly rooted in what happened only months earlier.
The Tigbauan government had already suspended the poultry farm on June 19, 2026. According to Iloilo First District Rep. Janette Garin and local media reports, the operator was subsequently allowed to finish one growing cycle after citing chicks that had already been purchased.
Residents now fear the latest shutdown could follow the same pattern.
Farm Cannot Simply Reopen
The August 28 order places several conditions on any resumption of operations.
Among them, the facility must obtain certification from EMB Region 6 showing compliance with applicable sanitation and environmental protection requirements, particularly measures intended to address odor and fly infestation.
Tigbauan’s Special Composite Team must also inspect and validate the facility and certify compliance with municipal sanitation requirements, including the absence of observable foul odor and fly infestation in the surrounding area.
The farm must give municipal inspectors unhampered access for inspection and monitoring.
The suspension order also calls for measures addressing public health, order and safety, consultations involving residents of Sipitan and Linobayan, and the settlement of existing legal disputes involving members of the neighboring community.
That means the dispute is no longer simply about whether chickens are being raised at the site. Environmental compliance, municipal permits, land-use questions and the breakdown in relations between the operator and residents have become intertwined.
EMB Had Already Flagged Mitigation Measures
According to Panay News and statements from Garin, EMB-related documents identified several measures for the poultry facility, including properly covering and compacting the mortality-pit area, covering a canal carrying chicken manure, installing protective measures around a water canal, and using lime and chlorine as part of odor-control efforts.
Garin has also said that the facility still had outstanding regulatory requirements, including a discharge permit and a permit to operate.
Those assertions should be treated as Garin’s account of the farm’s regulatory status rather than as a final adjudication that the operator violated environmental law.
What is independently confirmed is that EMB Region 6 listed GT Poultry Farm for public scoping on June 3, 2026, for a proposed expansion project at Barangay Sipitan, Tigbauan.
Philippine environmental law also provides the regulatory framework behind the permit issue. Under Republic Act No. 9275, or the Philippine Clean Water Act, facilities that discharge regulated effluent are required to secure a discharge permit. EMB rules likewise require covered air-pollution source installations or equipment to obtain the appropriate Permit to Operate.
Whether every one of those requirements applies to the precise configuration and current operations of GT Poultry Farm, and whether the facility presently holds each required authorization, ultimately requires determination by the responsible regulatory agencies.
Nine Barangay Officials Submitted Resignations
The controversy reached a political breaking point on August 26 when nine officials of Barangay Linobayan submitted what they described as irrevocable resignation letters.
Daily Guardian identified the group as Punong Barangay Rene Taño, seven barangay kagawads and the Sangguniang Kabataan chairperson. Their letters indicated an intended effectivity date of September 10.
The resignations were presented as a protest over the long-running dispute and what officials considered the failure to arrive at a permanent resolution.
But there is an important legal distinction.
Under Section 82 of Republic Act No. 7160, or the Local Government Code, a barangay official’s resignation becomes effective upon acceptance by the city or municipal mayor. The law further provides that a resignation may be deemed accepted if the proper authority fails to act within the prescribed 15-working-day period.
Thus, as of September 2, describing all nine officials as having already left office would be premature.
Legal Battle Adds Another Layer
The dispute has also entered the courts.
Daily Guardian reported that GT Poultry Farm filed a civil case against some Linobayan officials and residents involving injunction and damages, including an application for a preliminary prohibitory injunction.
Iloilo Metropolitan Times reported that some residents consider the litigation an additional financial and emotional burden and have expressed hope that intervention from Garin could open the door to dialogue.
Garin has criticized the filing of cases against residents while at the same time saying that investments should be welcomed provided businesses comply with regulations and community concerns are addressed.
The existence of the lawsuit, however, does not by itself establish wrongdoing by either side. Those issues remain matters for the proper courts and regulatory authorities.
Mayor Rejects Claims of Inaction
Teruel has also pushed back against accusations that the Tigbauan municipal government ignored the complaints.
The mayor said the LGU had conducted inspections and organized a special team to monitor the situation. An earlier municipal inspection reportedly characterized the odor encountered at the time as “minimal,” although residents continued complaining afterward.
The August 28 suspension represents the municipality’s strongest recent action against continued operations.
Whether it becomes the beginning of a permanent shutdown or merely another pause will depend heavily on what environmental regulators, municipal inspectors, the courts and the parties themselves do next.
Farm Management’s Side Still Crucial
A complete resolution will also require the poultry operator’s position.
Panay News reported that it attempted to obtain the Borra family’s side in Maasin on August 31 but no one was available at the residence. The newspaper said the family had not issued an official statement as of its deadline. Garin has publicly identified Dr. Maricor Borra as the farm’s owner.
That absence of an official response is important: claims made by residents, officials or politicians about the farm should not automatically be treated as findings of guilt or regulatory violation without confirmation from the responsible agencies or courts.
The Bigger Question
The battle over GT Poultry Farm has become a test of how a local government balances investment and agricultural activity against environmental regulation, community welfare and residents’ right to raise complaints.
For the moment, the chickens may have been stopped from coming in.
The controversy has not.
Linobayan residents want a permanent closure. The municipal government has instead created a path under which operations could potentially resume after compliance with its conditions.
And that leaves Tigbauan facing the question at the center of the dispute:
If GT Poultry Farm eventually satisfies the government’s requirements, will residents accept its return — or has the conflict already gone too far for reopening to end the fight?
WWC ONE MEDIA MJE
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