ANGELES CITY – A fisherfolk group has asked consumers to beware of the 17,000 metric tons of scad fish or “galunggong” that the government is importing from China, warning they could be contaminated with formalin to preserve freshness.
“Not only that imported, frozen round scad (galunggong) would no longer be fresh, but they could also be a health risk for consumers because they are often contaminated with formalin to make them last long,” the Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) said in a statement yesterday.
The importation of 17,000 metric tons of galunggong was approved by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) amid plans to close local fishing season for the fish in local waters as a measure to allow the variety to first multiply.
Pamalakaya chairman Fernando Hicap lamented the government’s apparent lack of concern for the health of the public in deciding to import galunggong from China.
“It is already a fact that majority of imported frozen marine products especially coming from China are tainted with formalin, a chemical primarily used to preserve cadavers. Just imagine if this chemical will be infused into the food that we eat!” he said.
Hicap cited “scientific studies saying that formalin is highly toxic and pose short-term health effects to humans including coughing, wheezing, nausea, irritation of skin, nose, and throat, while long term effect may lead to leukemia and cancer.”
The fisherfolk group reiterated its strong opposition to the importation of galunggong and other aquatic and marine products.
“The import-dependent consumption of fish products will completely kill the livelihood of local fisherfolk by further downgrading the value of their catch,” the group said.
Pamalakaya also refuted the claim of Agriculture Sec. Emmanuel Piñol and BFAR Director Eduardo Gongona that importation would stabilize inflation, noting that “the price of fish in the market is still controlled by private concessionaires and traders.”
“Importation will never be the solution to the ongoing artificial shortage of agricultural products such as fish. Big fish firms, whose production is based on export, monopolize municipal waters and its resources, including galunggong. This incessant drive to increase our exports has depleted not only municipal fish catch but also the fish stock in the sea which lead to our reliance on importation. Small fishers must be provided with better fishing equipment and adequate government support to increase their productivity,” the group said.
This, even as Hicap said “the country should also break free from unfair global trade agreements like the World Trade Organization that imposes us to comply with the demand of world market through export-oriented production.”
