| Ma Ling is popular 'pasalubong' among Pinoys |
Is it illegal to send or bring in canned pork products to
the Philippines
This is the question often asked by Filipino migrant workers
now, in the wake of a controversial confiscation of several cans of Ma Ling
from an overseas Filipino worker from Hong Kong who arrived at Clark Airport
The move was said to be in line with a Philippine government ban on the
importation of pork and pork products from countries infected with African
swine fever, including China
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ASF is a highly contagious and deadly disease affecting pigs and wild
boars, but is not passed on to humans.
But according to Rosabelle Woolf, general manager of
AFreight in Hong Kong , their company has not
received any directive about the reported ban on canned meat products, so their
customers are not being told yet not to include these in their door-to-door
boxes.
“Iyan nga ang pinag-uusapan namin kahapon (Jun 3), pero wala
pang directive kahit sa Door to Door Cargo Association of the Philippines
She said many of their customers have been asking about
this, either through their social media accounts or in person, but they have
advised them to just wait for any new development.
 |
| Woolf |
“Sa ngayon wait and see pa kami kasi wala pa namang order,
e,” said Woolf.
Many of the queries pertain to China-produced Ma Ling
luncheon meat, which many Filipinos often pack into the cargo boxes they send
to their family members back in the Philippines
It was the same canned product seized from Norma Agtarap at Clark Airport
Agtarap complained about the seizure to broadcaster Raffy
Tulfo, who promptly took the airport personnel to task, and got them to return
the canned goods to her.
That sparked an angry response from Agriculture Secretary
Manny Piñol who disclosed that his office had issued a directive as early as August
last year prohibiting the importation of pork or pork products from countries
infected by ASF.
Piñol warned that violating this directive could result in a
fine of up to Php200,000.
Acting on his request, the Food and Drug Administration ordered
the recall on May 27 of all pork products imported from countries hit by ASF.
These include, apart from China ,
Hungary , Latvia , Poland ,
Romania , Russia , Ukraine ,
Vietnam , Zambia , South
Africa , Czech Republic , Bulgaria ,
Cambodia , Mongolia , Moldova
and Belgium
The order also directed "all importers, distributors,
retail outlets, and other dealers" of processed pork products from ASF-hit
countries to immediately implement the recall.
But as of this writing, the FDA order appears to have been
largely ignored, with only Cebu
City
In a follow-up broadcast on May 28, Tulfo showed off Ma Ling
products he bought from some of the biggest grocery chains in Metro Manila, and
hit out anew at Piñol for supposedly targeting only small direct consumers like
OFWs and not the big importers.
Agtarap said in a phone hook-up that grocery stores in her
La Union hometown are also openly displaying and selling the same products.
But given that a precedent has been set, it may not be
advisable to bring Ma Ling with you on your next vacation to the Philippines
===
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