The Philippines is now a province of China?
This question was raised by Puwersa ng Bayaning Atleta (PBA) Party-list Rep. Jericho Nograles on seeing a Chinese beauty product distributed locally which listed its Binondo address as a province of the People’s Republic of China.
Nograles said the mislabeling of the Chinese manufacturer could have been deliberate. “It is hard to dismiss this insult as a simple error,” Nograles said. “The label clearly shows Manila, as a province of China. This incident must be investigated at the very least, and the manufacturer and importer should be blacklisted, as soon as legally permitted.”
Nograles said this incident should also prompt congress to craft legislation that would penalize mislabeling on consumer products.
In a letter to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA), Nograles complained that a Chinese hair care product, Ashley Shine Keratin Treatment Deep Repair, had labeled its address in Binondo, Manila as a “province of the People’s Republic of China.”
Ashley Shine Keratin Treatment Deep Repair is imported and distributed by Elegant Fumes Beauty Products, a Binondo-based company owned by a Chinese national.
“I write with reference to Ashley Shine Keratin Treatment Deep Repair that is distributed in the country by Elegant Fumes Beauty Products, Inc. of 707 Sto. Cristo Street, San Nicolas, City of Manila. It has come to our attention that the Chinese manufacturer of this product printed and distributed these products with a reference that Manila is a province of the People’s Republic of China,” Nograles said.
“Any act to undermine our sovereignty must be taken seriously. It is in this light that we respectfully ask your Office to immediately investigate this detestable and repulsive offense against our nation, and, if legally justified, prohibit the continued distribution of these products in our country,” he added.
Nograles said based on the information received by his office, the product bearing this information was manufactured in 2018 and is still distributed throughout the country.
“Succeeding batches of this product already omitted the declaration, but the offense remains the same,” Nograles noted.
