THE MILITANT partylist Anakpawis blamed the government for its "neoliberal policy" including food importation for the recent Chinese milk scare. This was bared after the Bureau of Customs confirmed that 2 million (2,138,397) kilos of Chinese milk by at least six local companies were imported from January to August this year."Revoking the licenses of these companies as ordered by Health Secretary Francisco Duque is not the best guarantee for our children's health and safety," Anakpawis secretary-general Cherry Clemente said.
"The government's liberalized trade policy is to be blamed for this Chinese milk scare. Food importation is hurting our own agrarian sector and has already displaced over a million peasants. The rice crisis has proven how vulnerable are we with the food importation policy. As for safe milk and infant formula, we propose that 'breast milk is still best for babies' and fresh pure milk provided for school children and not milk for private profits," Clemente said.
"The Bureau of Food and Drugs said that it was examining 800 products from China since July last year, so why would the Health Secretary be wary of Chinese milk? Local companies are allowed to import because trade was liberalized by the government as espoused by President Arroyo herself since the last round of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and the regime of the World Trade Organization," Clemente added.
"The contamination of Chinese milk with industrial melamine is spurred by the greed for capitalist profits. The growing pressure on China against its products, from White Rabbit candy to Mattel toys and milk, is really an offshoot of a trade war and competition with multinational corporations especially with the US and Europe. Our government's own importation policy is a product of this capitalist greed," Clemente concluded.
