MANILA — The smuggled agricultural products seized in two 40-foot containers inspected by Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan and the Bureau of Customs (BOC) last month tested positive for salmonella, making the shipment unsafe for consumers.

Pangilinan on Friday, November 14, cited a report from the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS), which sampled chicken breast fillet smuggled from China. The contaminated chicken was part of a shipment valued at P12.96 million and brought through the Manila International Container Port (MICP).

“Ito ang sinasabi natin na may kamadang sindikatong talagang gumagalaw dito. Ito ay unfit for human consumption pero tinatambak pa rin sa atin para linlangin ang ating mga kababayan sa mas murang produkto na maari naman magsanhi ng iba’t ibang sakit sa kanila,” Pangilinan said.

The senator condemned how Filipino consumers are exposed to unsafe meat products smuggled from China, saying they were being treated as “second-class citizens.”

“Hindi ito tama. Ito ay isang krimen—hindi lang laban sa ating ekonomiya pero sa kalusugan at sa dignidad ng bawat Pilipino. Not to mention, patuloy din na nagdudusa ang ating mga magsasaka at mangingisda dahil sa pagpasok ng mga smuggled na produktong ito mula China,” he added.

Pangilinan stressed that the illegal entry of agricultural products compromises food safety and endangers consumers, while also undermining the local poultry industry with the influx of cheap and unsafe chicken parts.

“Ang seguridad at kaligtasan ng ating pagkain ay sumasalamin din sa seguridad ng ating bansa. Karapatan ng bawat Pamilyang Pilipino na maging abot-kamay ang ligtas at tamang pagkain,” he said.

The senator and BOC Deputy Commissioner Vincent Philip Maronilla inspected the containers on October 27 and found misdeclared frozen chicken breasts and fish balls. The shipment, originally declared to contain 5,300 cartons of fish balls, was found to contain sacks of frozen chicken breasts.

As chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food, and Agrarian Reform, Pangilinan has been leading efforts against agricultural smuggling. His committee has cited in contempt five individuals—including brokers and a BOC deputy collector at the Port of Subic—for refusing to cooperate with the Senate investigation.

Pangilinan earlier said intelligence reports showed that the smuggled agricultural products were coming from China. He likened the operations of the smugglers to those of Chinese-linked Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators, citing activities such as human trafficking and scams.