‘Markets should sell safe supplies’

CEBU, Philippines - Mayor Paz Radaza ordered the Lapu-Lapu City Health Office to inspect repacked goods sold in the market to ensure they are safe for consumption.

She said she will also meet with officials of the Mactan Export Zone 1 in Barangay Ibo and ask them to advise their employees to stop the practice of selling biscuits packed in unlabelled bags. 

This, after a two-year-old boy from Barangay Punta Engaño died of alleged food poisoning after eating biscuits reportedly bought from a MEZ worker.

"Ang office ni Doctor Rodolfo Berame has to work double time in rechecking (the products being sold in the markets). In fact, gi-kontrolar na sab sa DepEd (Department of Education) kung unsa na ang mga gibaligya-baligya sa gawas sa mga schools," Radaza said.

Lapu-Lapu City has one main public market in Barangay Poblacion. It also has satellite markets in Barangays Pajac, Buaya, Saac, Marigondon and Babag.

The mayor has also instructed Punta Engaño Barangay Captain Lourdes Ibag to visit the family of the fatality, Carl Jed Talingting, so the city can determine the kind of assistance it could provide to them.

Carl Jed, his three other siblings – Clarce, 6; Claralyn, 4; and Chloe, 3 – and two more neighbors were brought to the hospital when they vomited, sweated and turned pale an hour after eating biscuits shared to them by their neighbor Gretchen Jugan, 23, who works at MEZ 1.

Jugan reportedly bought the biscuits Tuesday last week from a female workmate who buys the biscuits from a factory and repacks them herself.

When Jugan noticed they were slightly damp, she had them refrigerated overnight before letting her son and her neighbors eat them the following day. The biscuits were simply packed in ordinary plastic container, unlabelled, and did not indicate manufacturing or expiration dates.

But is the city, at this point, keen on totally banning the sale of repacked, unlabelled biscuits? Radaza has hesitations.

"I think tan-awon lang kay, actually, I was one of those kaniadto nga (mopalit). Barato man gud unya okay ra man sad og lami kay gikan man gyud na sa canned nga mga biscuit. Gani lang, buak-buak na, that's why giingon nga mura'g reject kunuhay pero okay ra gyud. It might be dugay nga napundo, unya wala nabaligya per kilo kay most probably, gamay ra ang nakapalit. Mao nay bantayanan," she said.

Carl Jed's parents earlier blamed the biscuits for their son's death. Charlie Talingting, the father, said he wanted to pursue a case against Jugan's workmate, especially if she continues to "evade" her responsibilities.

Jugan has since asked the concerned seller to show up and settle the issue with the family. When Jugan reported for work last Sunday, she informed her workmate of the incident, but the latter reportedly just acted as if "nothing happened."

Meanwhile, MEZ information officer Raymund Java yesterday clarified that there are no biscuit factories located inside the exporting zones in Lapu-Lapu.

MEZ, he added, is also washing hands of the incident.

"So far, sa PEZA (Philippine Economic Zone Authority) police, wala ma'y naabot nga complaint. Diri sa office, wala'y naabot nga reklamo sa amoa. Out na mi ana nga issue," he said.

He added that they do not want to intervene with the small-scale businesses or "sidelines" of their employees as long as the latter perform well in their respective jobs. (FREEMAN)