Three Chinese nationals were arrested in a raid a warehouse in Mabalacat City that served as a supplier of makeshift medical facilities earlier discovered in Pampanga, while in a separate operation, some P20 million worth of medicines and other items were confiscated by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
Agents from the NBI’s Central Luzon office arrested Chinese nationals Zidong Guo, who allegedly claimed to be a doctor before his Chinese customers; Chen Weiming; and Hong Qiao Ling at the warehouse located in Clarkhills, Clark Freeport Zone on Thursday.
Representatives from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also inventoried and confiscated Chinese medicines, food, and cosmetic products that were being sold to Chinese customers, the NBI said.
The bureau said the warehouse was the “supplier and source” of the makeshift hospitals earlier raided by authorities at Barangay Anunas in Angeles City and at the Fontana Leisure Parks in Clark.
FDA personnel also confiscated around P20 million worth of Chinese medicines, food, and cosmetic products from an establishment called “Super Market No. Nineth,” also located at Clark Freeport Zone, the NBI said.
The permits of said stores were still being validated from the FDA and from the local government of Mabalacat City, the NBI said.
The bureau said both establishments were closed and padlocked after the operations.
The arrested persons are currently detained at an NBI facility as they await inquest for violations of the Medical Act of 1959 and the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act as amended by the Food and Drug Administration Act of 2009 before the Mabalacat City Prosecutor’s Office, the NBI said.
Authorities earlier raided alleged unauthorized medical facilities that supposedly served Chinese nationals in Pampanga, Makati City, and Parañaque City.
Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra has said he will order the NBI and the Bureau of Immigration to help the police find other “clandestine” clinics and to file charges against their operators if warranted.
“Considering that they are not being supervised by the government, it is possible that the health of people who seek treatment in these illegal facilities is being compromised,” he said./Stacy Ang
