RP recalls Havaianas after US lead scare

MANILA, Philippines - The local distributor of Brazilian-made Havaianas footwear has pulled out from the market some footwear models after the United States reported that they had high lead content. Terry S.A. Inc. however said that this does not mean that the recalled footwear had been tested positive for high lead content in the Philippines. "For the interest of public safety and the welfare of Filipino consumers, we have removed the products that were recalled in the US. The same style that we carry here... we've recalled them from the shelves," Anne Gonzalez, Terry S.A. Inc.’s managing director, told GMA News reporter Mariz Umali in an exclusive interview. The US government had recalled several Havaianas models after it found out that the amount of lead used in them exceed the federal standard. Among the recalled models were Baby Estampas, Baby Pets, Kids Apple, Kids Fairy, Kids Flores, Kids Lighthouse, Kids Monsters, Kids Surf, Baby Letrinhas, Kids Sports, Kids Candies, Kids Fun, Kids Love, Kids Sereias, Kids Speed, Kids Lucky Bug, Kids Pets, Kids Rock, Kids Slim, Kids Wonder Woman, Kids Small Flowers and Kids Tropical w/Kit. The product’s US distributor, Alpargatas USA Inc., has even offered replacements to consumers who had already bought such products from November 2008 to February 2009. Terry S.A., however, has to make the same offer, saying they would verify first if the products sold in the country came from the same batch recalled in the US. The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has ordered Havaianas representatives to submit a sample each for the models being recalled to undergo test in the Bureau of Product Standards. The report said the DTI would also take necessary actions if proven that the flip-flops contain high lead content. "Ito po ay ating ide-destroy. Ibig sabihin hindi na ito maaring i-resell pa [We’ll destroy the products so they can’t be resold to the market]," said DTI Undersecretary Angel Pelayo. - Aie Balagtas See, GMANews.TV