Complacent

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) traditionally operates under the radar. The science-based agency, however, plays a vital frontline role in protecting the public from unscrupulous vendors selling substandard products.

Suddenly, the FDA is in the spotlight. Sen. Risa Hontiveros, chair of the Senate committee on health and demography, filed Resolution 194 seeking an investigation into reports  unregulated, unregistered and potentially dangerous health products and herbal supplements proliferate, especially in online channels. Some of these products were found to contain substances such as amphetamine, linked to kidney, heart and neurological complications.

Sen. Hontiveros wants to hold manufacturers, importers and distributors of such products accountable under the provisions of the Food and Drug Administration Act (RA 9711). She claims people behind these questionable products exploit regulatory gaps to make unverified claims. They prey on vulnerable consumers searching for cheaper alternatives to standard medicines.

The issue, it appears, resonates with the larger public. The flurry of reactions in social media attests to this.

There is some urgency here as well. The largely unregulated products passing off as “natural” health supplements have started to exact a social cost. It appears the FDA has been less than vigilant in testing the claims of these products or in checking the adequacy of their manufacturing processes.

Most of these products are being marketed through social media, seemingly beyond the attentiveness of the main regulatory agency responsible for verifying their safety. This suggests a serious inadequacy in our regulatory setup. It likewise underscores strong public interest in issues relating to health.

Sen. Raffy Tulfo, for his part, unleashed a scathing condemnation of the FDA. He accuses the agency of failing in its basic mandate of protecting the public from dubious pharmaceutical and health products. He took the FDA to task for allowing continued sale of unregistered health products and criticizes the agency for issuing unenforceable health advisories.

Tulfo’s tirade against the FDA is part of his long-standing advocacy against regulatory complacency, especially where such complacency seriously compromises public safety. He questioned the agency’s vigilance in regularly auditing companies that sell medicines and health supplements. He raised important concerns over the actual basis for the FDA issuing certificates of product registration.

At the heart of it all, Tulfo asks if the FDA is properly constituted and adequately funded to carry out its vital task. He calls for a thorough evaluation of the FDA’s performance with an eye for substantial reforms in its systems.

In the 2026 national budget, the Department of Health receives among the biggest allocations. The public deserves the highest quality of health services – including proper regulation of food and drugs peddled in the open market place.

As things stand, health services is seriously wanting. Our public health infrastructure is a disaster area. Regulation in the production of health-related products has been shown to be grossly inadequate.

There is great public interest is seeing reforms urgently needed in this sector. We do not need another round of grandstanding in the hearings expected to happen in this regard. Poor regulation of health products is a peril the public will no longer endure.

We expect to see substantial reforms happen after the two senators raised the serious questions that should have been asked long before.

Hype

In the face of rapidly collapsing job approval ratings, we cannot fault the administration for frantically trying to call attention to every minor achievement. Shoring up public support appears to be the order of the day.

Last week, Malacañang celebrated the discovery of gas deposits in the Malampaya East (MAE-1) field. The discovery was announced with the same air of jubilation we might expect from, say, Alex Eala winning her first tennis major.

Except that the hype grossly exceeded the substance.

First, the newly confirmed gas deposit is actually miniscule. The original Malampaya field (Service Contract 38) had a 2,700 billion cubic feet (Bcf) of deposits. The MAE-1 is reported at only 98 Bcf. This is less than four percent of what the original Malampaya field held.

Second, the deposit at MAE-1 is described as “gas in place.” This is a geological estimate of what is there – not what can actually be produced. Even with advanced technology, historical records show that only about 60 to 80 percent of “oil/gas in place” is actually recoverable.

By contrast, the original Malampaya field’s 2,700 Bcf was already classified as “recoverable reserves” – not merely “gas in place.” This makes the new discovery even smaller in comparison.

In practical energy terms, the MAE-1 discovery translates into about eight to 10 months of supply for the existing Malampaya gas-fired power plants. In a word, it will only briefly postpone the end of our domestic gas supply.

Furthermore, the gas from MAE-1 will not be readily available. Actual exploitation of the new field will require long preparatory work, including submission of production plans to DOE, installation of sub-sea infrastructure and pipelines, pressure management and connectivity to the main Malampaya system. All these will take years and millions of dollars in capitalization – all for an additional 10 months’ extension of our gas supply.

Exploration costs have been inflated by the fact that the first well had to be re-drilled, adding to the costs to be recovered. Two more exploratory wells will be drilled in Camago and Pagasa. But these two other sites are expected to yield even less than MAE-1.