Tuesday, October 10, 2007 Team from China in Madridejos
SIX officials from Beijing, People’s Republic of China arrived in Cebu yesterday and went to Bantayan Island to gather facts about last week’s illness of more than 30 pupils, allegedly because of candies made from China.
Consul General He Shijing coordinated with the Cebu Provincial Government on the visit of two officials from China’s Ministry of Commerce and four officials from the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine.
Ling Xiao, Kang Yiming, Li Chaowei, Huang Peng, Chen Wenrui, and Guo Dehua are also scheduled to meet today with Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, who is expected to arrive from her trip to France and Germany.
Representatives from the Department of Health (DOH) 7 and the Chinese consulate will also have a separate meeting today to discuss the incident.
Elizabeth Francia, the governor’s chief of staff, disclosed that the Chinese delegation is here specifically to conduct a fact-finding investigation on last Thursday’s incident where pupils from San Agustin School in Madridejos town were hospitalized after eating candies given by a birthday celebrant.
Integrated Provincial Health Office Chief Dr. Cristina Giango also sent Capitol doctors to accompany the officials from China in a meeting with the Madridejos municipal health officer and local elective officials.
Madridejos Vice Mayor Doroteo Salazar, in a radio interview, said the parents expressed concern that the effects on their children may not be immediately known.
They want assurance that they can receive financial assistance in case symptoms will recur or other adverse effects will be known later.
At least 37 grade four students became nauseous after eating Ube Milk Candy that was bought from a store in Madridejos. Four of them had to be given intravenous fluids.
Francia said the Chinese officials are here to determine whether the children’s illness was really because of the China-made candies that they ate.
The delegation will also consider what actions they will have to take officially, such as whether they will give assistance to the affected families.
DOH 7 Director Susana Madarieta and Dr. Angelita Salarda of the health and regulation division were invited to a meeting with a Chinese consul today.
The consul earlier sent representatives to Madridejos to check on the incident.
Salarda told Sun.Star Cebu that she is not sure about the agenda of the meeting but she has prepared a report to the consulate and is ready to explain that the division has monitored Chinese candies in Cebu City.
The division’s food and drug regulation officers were sent to different candy shops in the city to buy Chinese candies. At least 13 packs were bought from two candy stores last Monday, said regulation officer Monina Coyoca.
Salarda explained that stores do not apply for licenses from the office so they cannot confiscate items. They had to buy P360 worth of products.
The packs did not contain the lot number of the manufacturer, while some did not have expiration dates, which are international requirements.
The candies were shipped to Manila yesterday for testing for the presence of formaldehyde. It was not confirmed though if formaldehyde caused the illness of the students from Madridejos.
“Formaldehyde may also cause headache and vomiting, but food-poisoning is non-specific so we cannot pinpoint the incident to formaldehyde,” explained Salarda. Results of the testing are expected in a week. (JPM/JGA)
