MANILA, Philippines - There is no politics involved in the banning of some food products from Taiwan found to be contaminated with maleic acid, a Palace official said on Monday.
In a press briefing, Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda clarified that the decision of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ban certain food products, including brands of tapioca pearls, has nothing to do with tension between the Philippines and Taiwan.
"Politics has nothing to do with banning those substances. It is everything to do with the health of Filipino citizens," Lacierda said.
He said the ban is based on scientific evidence and is not the Philippine government’s way of getting back at Taiwan, which has sanctioned the Philippines due to the fatal shooting of a Taiwanese fisherman in waters off Batanes.
The FDA had banned 15 food products from Taiwan that were found to be contaminated with maleic acid, a substance used in making synthetic resin used in manufacturing plastic products, automotive parts and pipes.
In an advisory over the weekend, FDA acting director Kenneth Hartigan-Go said the products are “not registered†with the FDA to be sold in the country.
These products are Hong Tapioca Starch, Redman Black Tapioca Pearl, Sun Right Indica Rice Powder, Top 1 Tapioca Pearls, Tea World Tapioca Starch Ball, Unbranded Starch Ball, Ding Long Tapioca Pearls, Sun Chi Noodles, T & M Resources Corp Tapioca Pearls, Pure Tea Tapioca Pearls (White), Pure Tea Tapioca Pearls (Black), Full Free Green Tea Tapioca Ball, Full Free Yam Tapioca Ball, Long Kow Vegetarian Instant Rice Noodle, and Long Kow Rice Noodle with Thick Soup.
The May 9 incident in Balintang Channel resulted in the death of a 65-year-old Taiwanese fisherman, Hung Shih-Cheng, when Philippine Coast Guard personnel reportedly opened fire.
The incident has also led to a diplomatic row between the Philippines and Taiwan, with some Taiwanese reportedly venting their ire towards overseas Filipino workers there.
Both countries are still investigating the incident and have exchanged teams of probers.