Intercept FMD-infected pork smuggled into the country, senators urge government

Lawmakers urged the government yesterday to act swiftly and intercept shipments of pork from China and South Korea reportedly infected with foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) and feared to have reached the local markets.

Senators Manuel Villar and Teresa Aquino-Oreta sounded the alarm following reports that two containers loaded with FMD-contaminated pork from China were released last Oct. 11 despite a pending seizure request from port quarantine officers.

The release of the smuggled shipment was discovered after another two-container shipment of contaminated meat from South Korea was seized by port authorities last Nov. 2.

Senators Villar and Oreta called on the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD) to immediately deploy agents to pinpoint the whereabouts of the smuggled pork.

Villar expressed concern that the infected pork had already reached the local market and meat processing factories and could have been processed into hotdogs, ham, pork tocino and other meat products.

Villar, vice chairman of the Senate agriculture committee, said concerned government agencies must prevent these FMD-contaminated meat products from reaching the dinner tables of the populace.

"There is little room for complacency, we need swift action," he stressed.

Meat imports from China and Korea, which are high-risk FMD countries, are banned in the Philippines except when properly cleared by the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI).

According to reports, Customs Commissioner Antonio Bernardo has already ordered the relief of four customs officials who gave the go signal for the questionable release of the contaminated meat.

Ordered relieved from their post were Reynaldo Avelino, chief of the Private-Public Bonded Warehouse (PPCBW), his assistant Carmencita Cedena and two unnamed officials.

As this developed, Senator Oreta stressed that the Bureau of Customs (BOC) should be on guard against contaminated meat cargo especially at a time when smuggling is on the rise due to the high demand for meat products during the Christmas season.

"Our authorities should mount a more effective campaign against the entry of FMD-contaminated shipments into our ports," Oreta said. "This is not just a serious health concern but a problem that could have terrible consequences on our meat and dairy industry if law enforcement agencies are careless in enforcing quality tests and quarantine measures."

Villar said that the DTI, BFAD and even the BAI, must be able to assure the consumer public that meat products sold in the market are safe for human consumption.

Villar, likewise, pressed for the immediate investigation and prosecution of the port and custom officials who allowed the release of the questionable pork shipments from China.