MPD uncovers digital food-label alteration scheme

Police arrested five vendors after catching them altering the expiration dates on an estimated P950,000 worth of expired food products inside a Quiapo warehouse, officials said.

Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso announced the arrests during a livestreamed briefing. He identified the suspects as Melvin Imperial, Allen Bautista, John Clifford Sagun, Analyn Colangoy and Geelyn Santillan, all residents of Quiapo.

Acting on a tip from a confidential informant, the Special Mayor’s Reaction Team (SMaRT), led by Police Lt. Col. Edward Samonte, launched a surveillance operation. Officers moved in at 9:30 p.m. at a warehouse on the corner of Villalobos and Palanca streets.

Investigators said they caught the suspects scrubbing and re-stamping label dates inside a second-floor restroom.

Police recovered assorted expired noodles, canned drinks and other merchandise, alongside three digital devices used to print false expiration dates.

“This is a very dangerous situation that could be happening in other parts of Manila,” Domagoso said, warning consumers to be cautious of unusually cheap items. “We might be buying things cheaply, but not everything cheap is good. There might be a reason why it is cheap.”