Press Release
July 18, 2007

ROXAS CALLS FOR "BEEFED-UP BFAD"

Senator Mar Roxas said it was high time to strengthen the Bureau of Food and Drugs' (BFAD) mandate and capabilities for it to be more responsive to threats to public safety and health.

He made the statement after the BFAD released an advisory last Tuesday warning the public of food products from China containing formaldehyde, a compound mostly used as a preservative and disinfectant, and which is an extremely potent carcinogen and irritant.

"Kahit na kendi lang iyan, hindi dapat minamaliit iyan. Kung delikado pala, tulad ng nadiskubre ng BFAD, dapat suyurin ang merkado para mawala ang mga ganitong produkto," he said.

"This is not a trivial matter, because this boils down to consumer safety. Else, the people spend for goods which are not at par with standards and are not worth their money. Then they end up sick, not being able to work, and spending their family's meager savings on medication," he added.

Roxas said that while BFAD has competent personnel, it may be weighed down by its meager resources in enforcing relevant consumer protection policies and product quality standards.

"The BFAD is crucial to consumer protection as far as the safety and quality of food and pharmaceuticals are concerned. It must have ample muscle to go after manufacturers, importers distributors and retailers of such goods," he said.

He added that imported products carry an added risk to the people, as foreign enterprises may not be held liable for defects in their goods here. That is why the quality of these goods must be best ascertained by a powerful and credible agency.

"We must allow the BFAD to further evaluate the ingredients of other goods. Eventually, the agency will need increased funding and a larger office to do its tests and to deal with a strengthened mandate," Roxas said.

"Let's also look into expanding the BFAD's reach, creating regional offices if necessary. It must be able to immediately spread the word and warn the public in similar cases such as the candies with formalin," he added.

The call for a beefed-up BFAD goes hand in hand with Roxas' advocacy for consumer protection, which goes way back since he was Trade secretary. He has filed bills following this line, including protection for buyers of motor vehicles, the anti-smuggling bill and the proposed Pre-Need Code.

This is also in line with the Liberal Party's call for Real Social Reform, as part of its Affirmative Action Plan.

In the meantime, he called on authorities to conduct inspections to make sure that stores and supermarkets are no longer selling the four Chinese goods the BFAD has warned the public against: White Rabbit Creamy Candy, Milk Candy, Bairong Grape Biscuits and Yong Kang Foods Grape Biscuit.

"We can not simply enjoin the stores to stop selling these products and expect them to comply. Sufficient inspections must be made so as to avoid the hazards these foods pose to the public," Roxas said.

Meanwhile, he cautioned the public from purchasing other products from questionable sources, even if these have been in the market for a long time. "We have to err on the side of caution, knowing that there may be dozens, even hundreds more of imported and local goods whose quality has not yet been assessed," he said.

The BFAD said it is still conducting analysis of several other food products manufactured and imported from China , not just for the presence of formaldehyde, but for any other substances that could be detrimental to public health.

The goods from China were given attention after 180 factories in the country were closed due to safety concerns. The agency said it has gotten in touch with the distributors of the banned goods, who were willing to withdraw their products.

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