The fish section at the public market of San Francisco, Agusan del Sur. MindaNews photo taken 26 January 2024 by CHRIS V. PANGANIBAN
SAN FRANCISCO, Agusan del Sur (MindaNews / 26 January) – Viral social media posts claiming that frozen yellowfin tuna being sold at this town’s public market is laced with pig’s blood to make it look fresh have prompted local officials to take strict actions against the alleged deceptive practice.
Alexis Cabardo, news chief of People’s Television 8-Agusan del Sur, posted on January 19 an item on the controversy with the title “Isda Baboy Flavor (Fish In Pig Flavor),” generating 348 mixed reactions, 160 comments, and over 1,000 shares as of Friday.
Cabardo emphasized in his post that the alleged use of pig’s blood on the fish is particularly offensive to Muslim residents and members of the Seventh Day Adventist church.
Mayor Grace Carmel Paredes-Bravo, alarmed and expressing concern, shared the post. Her repost earned 323 reactions, 113 comments, and 124 shares as of Friday.
She said in an interview Monday that businesses deceiving customers at the public market would not be tolerated.
She warned that business permits could be revoked for those found engaging in such deceptive practices.
During the committee hearing Thursday, Sangguniang Bayan member Filomeno Cadiz, chair of the ways and means committee, recommended the strict implementation of measures to prevent malpractices.
These included requiring the installation of additional CCTV cameras, establishing a hotline for complaints at the public market, and providing the market sanitary inspector and Municipal Health Office with gadgets to test for substances like food coloring, dye coloring, formalin, pig’s blood, and other chemicals that give food items the appearance of freshness.
Kath Esmedina, a vlogger and councilwoman of Barangay Pasta, who shared Mayor Bravo’s post, recounted her experience during the hearing.
She said she bought fish for P200 per kilo. However, after cooking and tasting it, she found it already spoiled and salty.
She shared photos of the cooked fish on Facebook to alert her friends.
At the Sangguniang Bayan hearing, a fish vendor admitted to applying food coloring on the fish but denied using pig’s blood.
Another vendor raised concerns about the scarcity of fresh fish supply from the neighboring province of Surigao del Sur, saying they mostly buy frozen fish from General Santos City.
Richard Grande, news anchor of Banat Patrol over Kuyaw FM, raised questions about the potential misuse of “super white” rust remover in water basins where vegetables are soaked to maintain freshness throughout the day.
Cadiz acknowledged the need to rigorously enforce two municipal ordinances to prevent buyers from being deceived, namely Ordinance No. 119 prohibiting the use of any chemical, and Ordinance 121 prohibiting the use of colored lighting.
These ordinances, authored by former SB Member Lerizza de Leon in 2019, were initiated to ensure public confidence in the public market.
De Leon, in a phone interview, said it took her over a month of personal observation to discover malpractices at the public market.
She pursued the legislation after being informed by a resident about vendors allegedly pouring formalin into ice buckets.
Former municipal treasurer Honorato Nacorda supported her efforts, having noticed alleged abuses by fish vendors at the public market. (Chris V. Panganiban/MindaNews)
