MANILA, Philippines – Three hospitals in Metro Manila may have unwittingly used milk formula contaminated with the toxic substance melamine from China, resulting in children aged five and below possibly developing kidney stones, a health official revealed yesterday.
Dr. Eric Tayag, chief of the National Epidemiology Center under the Department of Health, however, refused to identify the hospitals that may have used melamine, when asked by Congress reporters after the hearing of the DOH’s P33-billion budget for 2009.
A report pursuant to the directive of Health Secretary Francisco Duque III to monitor cases of renal stones revealed that these medical facilities may have used the toxic substance in milk formulas for children and even the elderly.
The DOH order was for all hospitals nationwide to provide the government agency with cases of kidney stones from January to August this year, which may help the DOH solve questions on which hospitals may have utilized the banned melamine ingredients.
Duque told the House subcommittee on appropriations headed by Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman that they are in the process of imposing more stringent requirements with regard to the disclosure of milk formula ingredients from importing countries.
Duque said under new rules, the Philippines will ban any imported dairy product whose origin has not been fully disclosed.
The regulation will require exporters from countries such as Australia and New Zealand to disclose where their milk came from if it was not procured locally.
If an exporter fails to make a full disclosure, officials will assume the milk product came from China and ban it, Duque said.
“Of course it’s always good to have evidence rather than just speculate, but we will have to shift the burden of proof to them because our duty is to protect public health,” Duque said.
China has promised to improve food safety amid a widening scandal
over melamine-tainted milk that has been blamed for four deaths and kidney stones and other illnesses in 54,000 children.
The Philippines is among at least 12 countries that have banned Chinese dairy products or foods that contain Chinese milk as a precaution against sickness among local infants.
The Bureau of Food and Drugs is conducting tests on some 50 milk
products from China, and results are expected later this week, Duque said.
Send back shipments
Customs Commissioner Napoleon Morales yesterday said he is contemplating on sending banned milk shipments from China back to their port of origin instead of destroying them.
Morales said he would seek the opinion of the BFAD on the best way to deal with the importation of contraband items.
“We need to get the BFAD (approval), if they would agree that the milk would just be re-exported. We need clearance from the BFAD, if they do not agree then we would ask them what is the best mode for condemnation,” Morales said.
He said that the shipping lines or the importer could be asked to shoulder the cost of returning the cargo back to its port of origin. He said that the shipping lines have no recourse but to abide by these terms otherwise they would not be able to recover their container vans, which cost P50,000 each.
The Customs chief made the announcement in the midst of reports that their personnel spotted a shipment from China that arrived over the weekend.
Morales also said he issued last week a memorandum to all the ports in the country to ban the entry of all infant and milk products from China.
The bureau has also updated its computer system and the BOC would immediately be alerted if a shipment of milk or its derivatives have entered the ports.
Not clear
BFAD director Leticia Gutierrez conceded before the House budget hearing that it is possible milk formulas from China may still be found in the market, even if the manufacturers claim these are from New Zealand.
She said that they removed the four popular dairy products from New Zealand from the initial list of food items to be tested for possible melamine contamination after a careful review of the products.
“We could always check any of the products in our post-marketing surveillance. For the moment, we are concentrating on those that come from China,” she said. “But yes, in this particular case, it is possible, but they (Anchor et al) said it came from New Zealand.”
“We could not discount the possibility, some of them may have come from China,” added Duque.
Gutierrez claimed the bureau had already validated the methods and calibrated the instruments that it would use in testing the samples for traces of melamine.
But BFAD is still waiting for the “reference standards” for melamine before analyzing the samples.
Refund possible
To appease importers of China-made milk, Duque said they may still get a refund once the products they bought there would test positive for melamine.
Duque said these traders are “buyers in good faith” so they should be allowed to get back their money.
He urged them not to dispose their imports despite the ban being imposed presently by the DOH against milk products made in China.
Supportive of ban
The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), the largest business group in the country, said it is supporting the government’s decision to ban imported milk products from China.
“The ban is just appropriate while at the same time, it calls upon our agencies to continue their close collaboration with each other together with the private sector so we can ensure the protection of our consumers,” PCCI president Edgardo Lacson said.
Lacson said the DOH should be lauded for its quick response in revoking import licenses of companies involved in bringing in China-made dairy and milk products.
Likewise, Lacson commended the BOC for issuing an order to all its district and port collectors in the Philippines to ban shipments of contaminated milk products.
House inquiry
The House of Representatives – through Palawan Rep. Abraham Mitra – expressed its desire to conduct an inquiry into the controversial melamine issue, expressing fears the country may have been a “dumping ground” of China’s “manufacturing overcapacity.”
“This should prod the government to put up its anti-smuggling defenses so the country, on account of its proximity to China, will not become an inviting target for dumping,” he said.
The hearing, which Mitra said will focus on the government’s ability to ensure food safety, will start on Oct. 7.
No milk in relief ops
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) assured the public yesterday that no milk products from China have been distributed by the agency in its relief operations.
“We have no milk donations from China. We are not receiving food donations from them,” DSWD Secretary Esperanza Cabral told The STAR.
Cabral said they stopped distributing milk products to evacuation centers since last year.
“We stop giving milk in our food packs because we felt that it’s not cost effective,” she said, adding babies must be given the right milk formula and not just ordinary milk.
“We bought milk products from reputable milk manufacturers in the country,” she assured.
7 persons nabbed
In San Fernando City, La Union, police arrested seven persons on Sunday near the CSI shopping mall in Barangay Biday for allegedly selling P40,000 worth of suspected banned Chinese products believed to be contaminated with melamine and formalin.
Superintendent Pedro Obaldo, city police chief, identified the owner of the goods as Elizabeth Algaba, 49, while her companions were identified as Perlita Martinez, 48; Evelyn Golez, 56; Jolan Pulidario, 27; Enrico Macaspac, 38; Felipe Urian, 44; and Albert de Castro, 46, all residents of Bagong Silang, Caloocan City.
Obaldo said the goods were packed in eighty-four cartoons and loaded in a passenger jeep (WBE 742) driven by De Castro.
“It was found that some of their labels were erased and most are products from China,” Obaldo said.
San Fernando City Mayor Pablo Ortega ordered Obaldo to give samples of the goods to the BFAD for laboratory examination to determine the presence of melamine or formalin.
“According to them (suspects), these products were bought from Divisoria which were allegedly sold by a certain Belinda Lim,” Ortega said.
BOC hit
Meantime, the Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group (PASG) hit yesterday the BOC for reportedly allowing the smuggling of P12 million worth of flour from China that may be contaminated.
PASG chief Undersecretary Antonio Villar in a statement said he was dismayed over “the BOC’s apparent lack of concern for an ailing (flour) industry beset by rampant smuggling of its main commodity from China.”
PASG seized over the weekend four container vans loaded with smuggled flour from China. The alleged smuggled flour was seized after the vans left the Port of Manila (POM), “underscoring the kind of brazen smuggling of a commodity unchecked for the possible hazards it may pose to public health,” Villar said.
“The People’s Republic of China issued an order prohibiting the exportation of Chinese wheat flour. This order was officially transmitted to the BOC thru the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) early this year. So why violate it?” he said.
“The seized flour did not pass strict inspection by the Chinese authorities and chances are it may be infested with mites or tainted with some toxic chemicals like the banned milk from China,” he said.
He said the flour may also have been exposed to other elements since it has been in storage for over four months now.
The Philippine Association of Flour Millers has already raised a howl as it has suffered much from the smuggling of Chinese wheat flour, he said. With the attempted smuggling, it could have suffered more through unfair competition. - With Evelyn Macairan, Sheila Crisostomo, Helen Flores, Jun Elias, Ma. Elisa Osorio, Paolo Romero, AP