Isko seeks probe of Chinese-run firm

MANILA, Philippines — Mayor Isko Moreno yesterday asked the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to look into a firm that distributed beauty products with labels identifying Manila as a “province of China.”

The NBI said it has received the mayor’s request and will start the investigation as soon as it has the documents from Moreno’s office.

Moreno also asked the Bureau of Immigration (BI) to deport Chinese nationals Shi Zhong Xing and Shi Li Li, who were listed as incorporators of Elegant Fumes and Beauty Products Inc. (EFBPI).

“Their utter disrespect to the country as shown by their violations should not be countenanced. We are willing to submit relevant documents that may be used in the (deportation) proceedings,” Moreno said in his letter to BI Commissioner Jaime Morente.

Photos of the label of the product Ashley Shine Keratin Treatment Deep Repair went viral on social media on Thursday, showing the firm’s manufacturing address as “707 Sto. Cristo St. San Nicolas, Manila Province, P.R. China. MADE IN P.R.C.”

In a letter to NBI officer-in-charge Eric Distor, Moreno said the address cited in the packaging “is an affront to the sovereignty of the Philippines and an insult to its duly constituted authorities.”

Moreno also said EFBPI violated the Consumers Act of the Philippines and the Food and Drugs Administration Act of 2009 as well as engaged in online selling without the requisite permits, among others.

On Thursday, an irate Moreno ordered his chief of staff Cesar Chavez and Manila Bureau of Permits and Licensing Office director Levi Facundo to raid and shut down two stalls in Divisoria Mall and two others along Sto. Cristo street in Binondo for selling Ashley Shine products.

“I am not a governor of China. I am the mayor of Manila, Philippines,” he said as he ordered the raid.

He also called on online selling platforms Lazada, Shopee and other delivery service providers not to allow these kind of businesses to use their firms as a conduit for illegal activities.

Department of Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said the DOJ will initiate an inter-agency investigation along with the Department of Trade and Industry. The NBI and the BI are attached agencies of the DOJ.

Guevarra said they will give the people linked to the mislabeled beauty products “an opportunity to be heard.”

“As soon as a formal complaint is filed. The end goal… is to determine any administrative or criminal liability after a proper investigation,” he said.

Guevarra said the manufacturer or distributor of the beauty products may be liable for mislabeling their products and if the product itself has not been approved for local use by the Food and Drug Administration, “the violation takes on a more serious character.” – Robertzon Ramirez