400 kilos tainted pork seized in Manila

Some 400 kilos of "botcha" or "double-dead" (tainted) pork aboard a pedicab were seized in Manila's Divisoria district before dawn Monday. City veterinary office operatives acting on a tip intercepted the pedicab at the corner of Dagupan and C.M. Recto Streets, radio dzBB's Paulo Santos reported. The report said some of the meat already smelled bad, while some of the meat was cut into "menudo-sized" portions to be mixed with fresh meat and sold in the market. It quoted pedicab driver Danilo Nuque as saying he was told by a man riding in a taxi to deliver the meat to a certain "Michael" at the Divisoria Market. Nuque claimed he did not know the man aboard the taxi but he knew "Michael," the report added.

Dr. Hector Dimaculangan of the city veterinary office said the "menudo-cut" was a ploy by those selling the tainted meat to slip past authorities and mix the tainted meat with fresh meat. He said they expect more attempts by unscrupulous parties to sell such tainted meat since demand is likely to rise as the Christmas season approaches. — RSJ, GMA News