LIBERTAD, Pasay City — Following the confiscation of several smuggled vegetables being sold in a public market, the Department of Agriculture (DA) warned consumers that these vegetables could pose a threat to one’s health since they lacked import clearances from the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI).

The imported vegetables included 'tiger chili',” garlic sticks and Chinese yam, which could contain poisonous substances since they were not issued sanitary and phytosanitary import clearance by the BPI.

“Wala silang health certificate so that is actually dangerous. Hindi natin alam kung mataas iyan sa heavy metals, hindi natin alam kung reject iyan, may pesticide content, iyong fertilizer na ginamit tama b
a na hindi harmful sa tao,” agriculture secretary Francisco Laurel Tiu cited.

Asked where the vegetables came from, retailers informed the authorities that they are clueless about the original source of the agricultural produce they were selling.

“Ang alam lang namin doon lang namin kinuha sa Divisoria tapos binebenta lang namin dito,” one of the vendors said.

The DA said that it will coordinate with the Bureau of Customs to locate the source of the said vegetables, while also encouraging retailers to cooperate,

“I-coordinate din namin sa DA at DTI tapos kung anong mga sanction na puwede namin ibigay sa kanila (the source of the vegetables), isa-sanction po namin sila,” Pasay City markets master Ted Velasco committed.