ANTIQUE – Sixty-four child development centers (CDCs) in the municipality of Sibalom are awaiting action from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) after allegedly receiving spoiled pork intended for the agency’s Supplementary Feeding Program (SFP).
Sibalom Municipal Social Welfare and Development Officer Ma. Dominga Zaragoza said the pork, supplied by Kamapat Agricultural Cooperative, was distributed to the CDCs on Monday, July 20, as a one-month supply for the feeding program.
Zaragoza said the meat, valued at around P150,000, emitted a foul odor and had turned greenish by the time it reached the centers.
“As of Wednesday, there are already 64 CDCs that had complained that the pork they had received supposedly as an ingredient for the SFP was already foul-smelling and had a shiny green color,” she said.
The incident has been reported to the Sibalom Municipal Police while local officials await the response of the DSWD regional office.
Dr. Marco Rafael Ardamil, chief of the Public Health Division of the Antique Provincial Veterinary Office, said the pork was likely mishandled during transport or storage.
He explained that the meat should have been kept in an icebox or chiller instead of plastic packaging to prevent rapid spoilage.
“Proper food safety handling should have been observed,” Ardamil said.
He added that the greenish discoloration could have resulted from bacterial growth caused by exposure to conditions favorable for contamination. (PNA)
