By Diann Calucin
Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso announced the arrest of five vendors in Plaza Miranda, Quiapo, who were caught selling nearly ₱950,000 worth of expired and tampered food products.
Investigators revealed the group’s modus operandi: inside a hidden public comfort room on the second floor of the establishment, suspects used chemical solvents to erase factory production details from old packaging.
They then employed handheld digital tampering devices to print fake expiration dates, giving the products a fresh shelf life before resealing them for sale.
Authorities documented a highly organized setup capable of altering grocery items on a commercial scale.
The confiscated haul included assorted expired canned goods, packaged snacks, and condiments.
Police also seized three digital tampering machines used to falsify expiration codes directly onto containers.
The suspects—Melvin Imperial, Allen Bautista, John Clifford Sagun, Analyn Colangoy, and Geelyn Santillan—were caught in the act of distributing the altered items when tactical units breached the facility.
Domagoso warned consumers against deceptively cheap products, stressing: “Hindi ho lahat ng mura ay maganda. Baka mayroon hong dahilan kung bakit ito’y mura.”
“Hindi po namin ito tutulugan. May gobyerno po sa Lungsod ng Maynila at ito’y pananatilihin namin,” he added.
Criminal complaints will be filed against the group for violating the Consumer Act of the Philippines (RA 7394) and the Food Safety Act of 2013 (RA 10611).
