China help mulled for Pinoy importers

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) plan to sit down with the Chinese embassy to discuss compensation for local traders who imported melamine-contaminated milk products from China.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III has described these importers as “buyers in good faith” who would not have bought Chinese milk had they known that it had been enhanced with melamine.

“These people have invested a lot of money so I think it will be good for the DOH and the DTI to discuss with the Chinese embassy the assistance that could be given to them,” he told The STAR.

Asked about the other milk manufacturers and importers who were likewise affected by the ban imposed by the DOH because of the milk scandal, he said priority must be given to those who have imported tainted milk.

Duque said manufacturers whose products tested negative for melamine could still “re-introduce” their goods in the market after the ban imposed on them has been lifted. 

The DOH also warned manufacturers against seeking compensation for their expired products by using the ban as an excuse.

The DOH’s Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD) initially tested 30 milk brands for traces of melamine, and two brands – Greenfood Yili Fresh Milk and Mengniu Drink - tested positive for the toxic substance.

These brands are among imported Chinese products registered with BFAD, but the two tested products appeared to have been smuggled into the country because their packages are printed with labels in Chinese characters.

BFAD has not finished testing the Yili and Mengniu products that carry English labels.

Ma. Lourdes Santiago, officer-in-charge of the BFAD laboratory, said the examination of samples could be speeded up with the arrival of the rapid melamine testing kit from the United States by the third week of this month.

Santiago added that each kit costs P38,000 and although it is only for “one-time use,” it could accommodate more than 10 samples.

Around 200 more products are still being tested by the BFAD and according to the bureau, partial results would be out on Tuesday.

 ‘Discreet’ inventory

Aside from monitoring milk from China and its byproducts, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) has also started conducting a “discreet” inventory of other imported milk products available in the market.

“We have inspected all the incoming shipments of milk and dairy products from China. Now, we have instructed our men to visit the shopping malls and markets in the country and discreetly list down all the brand names of dairy products from other countries that are being sold in the Philippines,” said Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS) intelligence chief Fernandino Tuason.

The list would then be submitted to BFAD to determine if the products are safe.

He stressed that it is not their intention to worsen the milk scare in the country, saying they are only taking a pro-active stance.

The Customs official said that from the list, they would also be able to determine if any of these products being sold in the local market were not registered with the BFAD and might have been smuggled into the country.

 ‘Be patient’

Malacañang called on the public to be patient in waiting for the results of the tests being conducted by the BFAD on mostly Chinese-made products to determine melamine content.

Press Secretary Jesus Dureza defended the BFAD for its seemingly deliberate pace in coming out with the test results.

“The BFAD has been suddenly put in a very tight situation,” Dureza said in an interview over dzRB.

He pointed out that the BFAD was not even prepared to conduct the tests when the issue broke out, as it did not have the equipment needed to test the products.

“So we should be very patient because BFAD is trying its best to come up with a very accurate result,” he said.

 ‘Tap academe’

Sen. Pia Cayetano called on the DOH and the BFAD to tap the academe and other institutions to fast-track the testing of products in the light of the melamine scare.

Cayetano, who chairs the Senate committee on health and demography, said other laboratories like those of the University of the Philippines and even private entities could help speed up the process of determining which products are safe for consumption.

Meantime, a veteran Filipino journalist based in China said yesterday that the issue on the contaminated milk which killed four babies and affected at least 50,000 infants was already known to some Chinese officials as early as December last year but they failed to report it to higher authorities because of preparations for the Beijing Olympics held last August.

Chito Sta. Romana, chief producer of the American Broadcasting Corp (ABC) television in China, told reporters that as early as December, reports on the tainted milk were circulating but low ranking officials failed to report to higher authorities until the scandal broke out last month.

“The milk scandal shows a major failure of the Chinese regulatory system,” he said.

Sta. Romana said the tainted milk scandal was an offshoot of the attempt of a syndicate to pass the protein content standard on milk by adding melamine to their products.

“It was a result of greed unleashed,” he said. - With Evelyn Macairan, Aurea Calica, Marvin Sy and Perseus Echeminada