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By Francis Allan L. Angelo
THE Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD) needs additional personnel and testing centers in the country to monitor and examine food items imported in the country, an Ilonggo congressman said.
Rep. Ferjenel Biron (4th district, Iloilo) said BFAD must beef up its workforce to thoroughly monitor the market for banned items, particularly milk from China believed to be contaminated with melamine which causes kidney stones.
Biron said there are only 370 food and drug regulation officers (FDROs) assigned all over the country which makes it difficult for the agency to monitor food, drugs and cosmetic items in the Philippines.
BFAD only has one testing center based in Alabang, Makati City which means all tests must be done in Metro Manila.
“BFAD does not have enough personnel to monitor the compliance of food items, medicines among others to standards set by the World Health Organization,” the congressman added.
Biron, who is a doctor by profession, said he co-sponsored the BFAD Strengthening Bill in the House of Representatives which aims to triple the number of FDROs in the country.
The bill also seeks to allocate P1 billion for the construction testing centers in key cities of the country to hasten the examination of suspected contaminated and or substandard items.
Despite the lack in manpower and logistics, Biron lauded the BFAD for working overtime to monitor and ban milk products suspected to be laced with melamine.
“While they lack people, BFAD is capable to test products. The agency has been doing this job well so far. It is not customary for the BFAD to check all products imported in the country. What they conduct are random tests only. The agency relies on reports from countries where these products originated,” Biron added.
With the China milk scare gripping the Philippines and other parts of the world, Biron advised the BFAD to issue specific guidelines on what milk products must be banned after comprehensive tests.
“The BFAD must also act with prudence to protect businesses as not all milk brands are contaminated,” he added.
By Francis Allan L. Angelo
THE “Black Friday” affair of Iloilo capitol workers will be prolonged as Governor Niel Tupas had asked the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to declare as inoperative the appropriations ordinance authorizing the 10 percent salary increase for the provincial employees.
The Sangguniang Panlalawigan approved Appropriations Ordinance 2008-02 last September 9 to implement the DBM’s Local Budget Circular 88 mandating and setting the guidelines for the 10 percent pay hike.
Tupas received the measure September 10 for his signature but he refused to take action.
The governor said he let AO 2008-02 lapse into an ordinance after the 15-day reglamentary period to hasten its review by the DBM.
The 10 percent pay increase was supposed to be released Thursday last week but Tupas refused to budge saying he will wait for the DBM ruling.
Capitol workers vowed to continue wearing black clothes every Friday if the provincial government does not release their increase.
Vice Governor Rolex Suplico said Tupas should pity the workers and implement the increase the soonest time possible.
Suplico said the Sanggunian has done its work by passing an ordinance mandating the increase.
But in his letter to DBM regional director Nilo Buot, Tupas said AO 2008-02 suffers from legal infirmity because the SP “failed to appropriate the statutory and mandatory 20 percent of the underestimated internal revenue allotment (IRA) share of the province for developmental projects.”
The governor also scored the AO for failure to set aside money for the 5 percent calamity fund.
The Iloilo provincial government is operating under the 2007 reenacted budget after the DBM nixed as inoperative the 2008 budget approved by the opposition-dominated provincial board.
“The DBM has consistently ruled that appropriations ordinances that do not include statutory obligations are not valid, hence, inoperative. This ordinance is thereby illegal, invalid and inoperative if we go by previous rulings of your agency. But we will leave it to your agency to pass judgment on this issue,” Tupas said.
Tupas said the AO 2008-02 is illegal because it skipped the budget process in Republic Act 7160 (Local Government Code) by disregarding his request for supplemental for the salary hike.
“…It was the committee on appropriations that proposed an appropriation measure to implement a presidential directive on a 10-percent salary increase for LGU officials and employees, and not on the basis of the request for a supplemental budget that I had submitted,” he said.
The governor said the provincial board’s move contravenes Section 318 of RA 7160 that vests upon the local chief executive the duty to prepare the executive budget and supplemental budgets to be submitted to SP approval.
By Francis Allan L. Angelo
THE manager of a sub-station of Iloilo Electric Cooperative (Ileco) 2 based in Passi City, Iloilo is facing criminal charges for allegedly trying to cover up the death of a police officer in the said component city.
Sub-station Leslie Garzon might be charged with obstruction of justice when she ordered a subordinate to admit running over PO1 Japhet Perlas of Passi City PNP Friday evening.
Perlas died after he was bumped by an owner-type jeep of Ileco 2 at Poblacion Ilaya, Passi City.
Ileco 2 employee Bernard Janagap initially admitted as the driver who killed Perlas.
But when Janagap learned that the victim died, he recanted and told the Passi City police that Garzon ordered him to own up to the accident.
Janagap said Magdaleno Zuñiga drove the jeep which killed Perlas.
Zuñiga, who will be charged with reckless imprudence resulting in homicide, is now detained at the Passi City police station.
The Daily Guardian tried to reach Garzon for comment but to no avail.
In a text message to TDG, Atty. Dennis Ventilacion, Ileco 2 president, said they will refrain from issuing comments on the issue pending their investigation on the incident.
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