
Some P45.4 million worth of alleged voluminous unregistered diapers were confiscated by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) from six arrested suspects, including a Chinese national, during simultaneous raids at five warehouses in Plaridel, Bulacan, the Philippine National Police (PNP) reported on Black Friday, April 18.
The PNP-CIDG said that its Regional Field Unit 3 Special Operating Team together with the CIDG Bulacan Provincial Field Unit and territorial police units implemented search warrants for alleged violation of Republic Act No. 9711 (Food and Drug Administration Act of 2009) at five warehouses of the Philippine Asia Realty Development Corporation in Barangay Bulihan last April 15.
The CIDG identified the collared suspects as a certain “Allan”, a Chinese and the corporation’s general manager; “Marjorie”, the assistant manager; and employees Rachelle, Braian, Mark, and Joshua.
“All of them were caught in flagrante delicto selling and trading unregistered adult and baby diapers that allegedly came from China,” Torre said.
The operatives also confiscated from the suspects various receipts, laptop computers, printers, bubble wrap used for their operation, and a CCTV recorder.
Torre emphasized that it is the policy of the State to protect and promote the right to health of the Filipino people, and help establish and maintain an effective health products regulatory system.
“We have seized an overwhelming quantity of unregistered diapers that may cause health problems to the consuming public especially the elderlies and babies, who are vulnerable. With this crackdown and arrest of suspects, we prevented the trading, sale and movement of these illicit diapers, thereby, we also prevented the health risk these might pose,” he stressed.
“These imported diapers are consumer products that need to be registered in the Food and Drug Administration (FDA),” he noted.
The suspects were charged before the National Prosecution Service for violation of Sections 10 and 11 (a) of the Food and Drug Administration Act of 2009 for selling, offering for sale, trading, distribution, and transfer of unregistered health products.