House panels grill BFAD officials over melamine issue

MANILA, Philippines – Amid the health scare caused by melamine-tainted dairy products from China, lawmakers on Tuesday grilled officials of the Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD) for not being more "proactive" in determining harmful chemicals in food products. "I think the BFAD should be more proactive in looking for (harmful chemicals) rather than waiting for it to appear," said Nueva Ecija Rep. Rodolfo Antonino during the joint hearing of the House panels on health and agriculture and food on toxic food imports. "I think the reaction of the BFAD is based upon reports internationally," added Antonino. Joyce Cirunay, chief of the BFAD Product Services Division, earlier said during the hearing that the bureau did not routinely search for melamine in its inspection because it did not expect the chemical to appear in food products. Melamine, a chemical used in making plastics, was recently found to be contained in some milk products from China, mixed in to make them appear that they have higher protein levels than they actually do. "It is not acceptable to be part of food so the BFAD is not really making this part of the routine for processed food that enter the Philippine market," said Cirunay. "Even other countries, they don't expect this as an ingredient in food preparation." Cirunay likewise washed the BFAD's hands off the two Chinese products found to contain melanine, saying the two —Yili and Mengniu — are not registered with the BFAD. "Those that are smuggled we cannot guarantee," said Cirunay. Marlyn Pagayunan of the PSD's Food Section said 12 out of the 30 milk products tested so far are not registered with the BFAD. Cirunay further explained that the BFAD routinely checks the content of food products against documents submitted by recognized manufacturers during random sampling from markets. Exporters with licenses to operate must acquire certificates of product registration and submit documents showing that the products are of good quality and are safe for human consumption, she said. "The current set up is that the company will submit to us affidavit along with documents to prove the contents of the product," said Cirunay, adding that the sampling in the market that will prove if the contents of documents passed are true and correct. For his part, health committee chair Rep. Arthur Pinggoy told GMANews.TV in an interview observed after the hearing that the BFAD and the Department of Health were giving contradictory statements. "The DOH and BFAD are sending mixed signals. Iba yung sa secretary, iba yung sa BFAD," said Pinggoy, saying the DOH and the BFAD gave different statements as to how much time it will take to test the all the dairy products in question. "May problema sa pag-handle nito," said Pinggoy, whose House Bill 3293, which has passed the House on third reading and is currently pending in the Senate, aims to strengthen the BFAD's regulatory capacity. GMANews.TV