CIDG MEN CONFISCATE P5-M SUBSTANDARD FOAM PRODUCTS, ARREST 2 CHINESE NATIONALS IN PAMPANGA

BY KEVIN GALANG

THE Criminal Investigation and Detection Group’s (CIDG’s) intensified consumer protection campaign on April 7 resulted in the arrest of two Chinese nationals and the confiscation of more than P5 million worth of substandard  foam products in a raid at a warehouse in Minalin, Pampanga.

CIDG Regional Field Unit 3 chief Col. Grant Gollod said arrested were Chinese nationals alias “Sho,” 29,  the alleged owner and operator of the foam business, and alias “Yew,” 66, the firm’s human resources manager.

The operation under “Oplan Megashopper” drive was conducted based on a search warrant issued by a regional trial court against a warehouse located at CDCP Industrial Park in Bgy. Sta. Maria.

Operatives from CIDG Regional Field Unit 3, in coordination with the Pampanga Provincial Field Unit, Police Regional Office 3, and the Minalin Municipal Police Station, carried out the raid.

Seized from the warehouse were various foam products and related items under the “Shuey Foam” brand, including mattresses, bed foams, dog bed foams, and bundles of bedsheets, with an estimated market value of P5,051,130.

Gollod said the confiscated items were found to be non-compliant with standards set by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), particularly on mandatory labeling requirements, in violation of Article 77 of Republic Act No. 7394 or the Consumer Act of the Philippines.

DTI representatives who witnessed the operation conducted an on-site inspection and confirmed that the products failed to meet regulatory requirements.

Investigators also found discrepancies in the company’s business registration, noting that its actual operations differed from those declared in its Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) documents, including a mismatch in its registered business address.

Village officials of Sta. Maria, Minalin likewise issued certification affirming that the warehouse falls within their jurisdiction, contrary to claims linking it to another barangay.

The arrested suspects were brought to the CIDG Regional Field Unit 3 office for documentation and will be charged with violation of Republic Act 7394 or the Consumer Act of the Philippines.

Authorities are also coordinating with the Bureau of Immigration (BI) to verify the legal status of the arrested foreign nationals.