Senator Raffy Tulfo got salty with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) over the high amount of sodium content in food products such as instant noodles and sardines as well as the agency's apparent lack of “initiative” in handling the matter.

During the Senate budget hearing with the DTI, Tulfo brough out several cups and cans of cup noodles and sardines, respectively as part of his interpellation.

“Napakataas po ng sodium content. Ang allowed lang po for any sodium content, sabi ng mga eksperto namin, is 2,000 per day. Dito po kita natin merong 1,600, 1,800, may 1,900. Once a day lang po yung sinasabi na 2,000. (The sodium content is very high. The allowed sodium content, according to our experts, is 2,000 mg a day. Here, we see that there is up to 1,600, 1,800, and 1,900. The 2,000 is the limit for one day),” Tulfo said on Monday, Oct. 17.

“Ito pong mga instant noodles na ito, hindi lang to once a day kino-consume ng mahirap (These instant noodles, these aren’t consumed just once a day by the poor),” Tulfo continued.

As per the National Kidney Transplant Institute (NKTI) 120 out of every 1 million Filipinos will likely suffer from kidney failure every year.

He clarified that while he was not against the sale of these products, he wanted to know what the DTI could do to address the potential health risk of consuming said products.

DTI Secretary Alfredo Pascual said in response: “Unfortunately, the responsibility of the issues that you raise does not fall on the DTI but rather the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the implementing agencies provided for in the Consumer Act or Republic Act (RA) 7394.”

These agencies included under RA 7394 are the Department of Health (DOH) for food, drugs, and cosmetics; the Department of Agriculture for agricultural products; and the DTI for other consumer products not previously mentioned.

Tulfo was not satisfied with the response and scolded the DTI for their lack of “initiative” on the matter. He further accused them of deflecting responsibility.

The rookie senator then cited Article 10 of RA 7394, which reads “whenever the departments find, by their own initiative or by petition of a consumer, that a consumer product is found to be injurious, unsafe or dangerous, it shall, after due notice and hearing, make the appropriate order for its recall, prohibition or seizure from public sale or distribution".

“In my case, ako po’y nasa (I am in) public service, broadcaster. May lumalapit sakin tungkol po sa mga departamentong gobyerno na hindi ko sakop, ano ginagawa ko? Nire-refer ko (If I am approached about problems in government departments that I have no control over, what do I do? I refer it to them) Even if it’s not my problem, I do something about it on my own initiative,” Tulfo said.

Eventually, to appease the fuming senator, Pascual said that he would refer the issue to the DOH given that the DTI lacked the expertise or mandate to address Tulfo’s issue with sodium content.