By Benjamin Cuaresma
MARIKINA CITY — A joint team from the National Capital Region Police Office and the National Meat Inspection Service raided a trading warehouse in Barangay Tañong, Marikina City Thursday night, confiscating more than 20 tons of suspected “double-dead” meat.
Twelve people were taken into custody, including managers, office staff, and guards assigned to the facility, according to NCRPO director Police Maj. Gen. Anthony A. Aberin.
“This is not a minor infraction; it is a direct assault on public health. The sheer volume of this seizure reflects a calculated risk taken by these individuals to profit at the expense of consumer safety,” Aberin said.
Police acted on intelligence reports that the facility was selling pork and beef from livestock that died due to illness. With a court-issued search warrant, NCRPO units and NMIS inspectors found cold-storage rooms packed with frozen meat well past its expiration date.
Aberin said the haul stopped a potential large-scale foodborne illness incident across Metro Manila.
“This operation prevented a potential massive outbreak of foodborne illness across Metro Manila. We are expanding our intelligence net to shut down these invisible threats,” he noted. The seized products were reportedly set for distribution to markets.
The 12 suspects face charges under the Food Safety Act of 2013 (RA 10611) and the Meat Inspection Code of the Philippines (RA 10536).
ia/xf
