The smuggled agricultural products in the two 40-foot containers inspected by Senator Kiko Pangilinan and the Bureau of Customs (BOC) late last month tested positive for salmonella, making the products unfit for human consumption and posing health risks to consumers.
Pangilinan cited the report from the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS), which tested samples of chicken breast fillet smuggled from China.
Salmonella was detected in the sample procured from the containers that brought in P12.96-million worth of smuggled agricultural products through the Manila International Container Port (MICP).
“Ito ang sinasabi natin na may kamadang sindikatong talagang gumagalaw dito.”
“Ito ang sinasabi natin na may kamadang sindikatong talagang gumagalaw dito. Ito ay unfit for human consumption pero tinatambak pa rin sa atin para linlangin ang ating mga kababayan sa mas murang produkto na maaari naman magsanhi ng iba’t ibang sakit sa kanila,” the veteran legislator said.
The seasoned lawmaker lamented how Filipinos are being treated as second-class citizens, with smuggling syndicates bringing in unsafe meat products from China.
“Hindi ito tama. Ito ay isang krimen—hindi lang laban sa ating ekonomiya pero sa kalusugan at sa dignidad ng bawat Pilipino. Not to mention, patuloy din na nagdudusa ang ating mga magsasaka at mangingisda dahil sa pagpasok ng mga smuggled na produktong ito mula China,” the senator added.
He pointed out that the illegal entry of agricultural products into the country compromises food safety and poses serious health hazards to unsuspecting consumers. In addition, these smuggled frozen chicken parts sabotage our local poultry industry with the flooding of cheap, unsafe poultry products from overseas.
“Karapatan ng bawat Pamilyang Pilipino na maging abot-kamay ang ligtas at tamang pagkain.”
“Ang seguridad at kaligtasan ng ating pagkain ay sumasalamin din sa seguridad ng ating bansa. Karapatan ng bawat Pamilyang Pilipino na maging abot-kamay ang ligtas at tamang pagkain,” he stressed.
Pangilinan, together with BOC Deputy Commissioner Vincent Philip Maronilla, led the inspection of two containers with misdeclared frozen chicken breasts and fish balls at the MICP last October 27.
The shipment—estimated to have a total value of P12.96 million—was originally declared to contain 5,300 cartons of fish balls but was later discovered to hold sacks of frozen chicken breasts instead.
As chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food, and Agrarian Reform, he has been at the forefront of the fight against agricultural smuggling, underscoring its impact on the country’s agricultural sector and its workers.
In holding several public hearings on agricultural smuggling, his committee has cited in contempt five individuals—including brokers and a BOC deputy collector at the Port of Subic—for failing to cooperate with the committee’s investigation into the rampant smuggling of agricultural products.
Pangilinan earlier cited intelligence reports that the smuggled agricultural products are all coming from China, and he lamented how Chinese syndicates continue to circumvent the country’s laws, comparing them to the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) and their nefarious activities—such as human trafficking and scams.
