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Food and Drug Administration satellite office at Ali Mall in Quezon City on July 6, 2023. ABS-CBN News

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Victoria Tulad

ABS-CBN News

<p>MANILA — Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Director General Attorney Paolo Teston denied allegations that their agency receives bribes from multinational companies for the approval of their certificate of product registration.</p><p>During Tuesday’s hearing of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, Senator Raffy Tulfo told the agency, “You’re incompetent. Yan mismo sinabi ng ARTA (Anti-Red Tape Authority), kayo ang one of the most complained agency... At dudugtungan ko. Dapat karahiman kayo sa management magsi-resign na kayo. Inutil kayo eh.”</p><p>“Pag maliit na company hindi niyo inaaprubahan, iniipit niyo, pag malaking pharmaceutical company, yung multinational, approve kayo nang approve. Why? Because may mga lagay,” he added.  </p><p>Teston said he had reservations about Tulfo’s statement.</p><p>“Ang FDA po marami pong tao. Ang presumption ko lahat po sila matuwid. Ulitin ko po, kung mayroon po kayong impormasyon dito, makikipag-ugnayan po yung opisina ko upang matukoy po natin ‘tong mga tao na ‘to,” Teston responded.</p><p>“We don’t tolerate po corruption,&quot; he added.</p><p>He said he would not resign despite Tulfo’s prodding.</p><p>“I serve at the pleasure of the people acting through the President. Since I assumed office, I devoted my time and effort to this agency to improve. And personally, I think I have expanded naman the human resource of the FDA and made some advancement,” Teston said.</p><p>“If there is someone better than me to head the agency, I will yield the post to that better person. But for now, while I’m still here, since resignation is a voluntary act, I will continue exercising my functions as Director General,” he added.</p><p>Tulfo previously challenged Teston to resign if his office would be able to take down several questionable products being sold online that the FDA could not remove.</p><p>Tulfo also challenged Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Ted Herbosa to remove Teston, which Herbosa agreed to do.</p><p>“As of today, 970 product listings have been taken down – based solely on the products I raised during the budget hearings. Samantalang ang takedown operations ng FDA na Oplan Katharos ay naging Oplan Di Tinapos dahil mula March 2025, hindi na updated ang website,” Tulfo said. </p><p>He showed some counterfeit products that his staff was able to buy in Binondo and Quiapo, Manila, and said that they were able to buy prescription-only medicines from an online selling platform even without a prescription.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/6/4/fda-warns-vs-counterfeit-pain-relievers-flu-meds-1341">FDA warns vs counterfeit pain relievers, flu meds</a></div><p>Sen. Risa Hontiveros, chairperson of the committee, also sounded the alarm against counterfeit pharmaceutical products.</p><p>“Huwag nating hayaang mabalewala ang mga itinutulak natin sa Universal Health Care. Dahil kahit anong sistema pa ang mayroon tayo, kung mahina ang regulation, kung sumusugal naman ang ating mga kababayan sa mga delikadong produkto, maraming Pilipino pa rin ang magkakasakit,” Hontiveros said.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/business/2024/5/20/fda-reminds-public-vs-buying-from-unregistered-sellers-1544">FDA reminds public vs buying from unregistered sellers</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>&#x27;FDA IS NOT PERFECT&#x27;</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>Teston admitted that they had shortcomings due to the lack of finances and personnel.</p><p>He explained that they receive 254,000 applications per year, which is reviewed by fewer than 250 evaluators. They have 248 field regulatory operations offices and 28 regulatory enforcement units.</p><p>“FDA is not perfect. But the FDA and its people are working over and above their limits, and we are enforcing the law with the resources entrusted to us. We simply ask that these proceedings take place with the realities in mind,” Teston said.</p><p>Tulfo called Teston a liar because he said he received information that a product of a small company, which has always been approved since 2018, was supposedly denied of this because a bigger company came into the picture with the same product.</p><p>Teston guaranteed that they now have automatic renewal, wherein a product previously approved will be renewed if its formulation has not changed.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/video/business/09/02/19/fda-grilled-over-backlog-of-renewals-permits">FDA grilled over backlog of renewals, permits</a><br/><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/business/2025/5/26/fda-recommends-temporary-suspension-of-admin-order-increasing-fees-1804">FDA recommends temporary suspension of administrative order increasing fees</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>NO ONE JAILED</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>Atty. Franklin Tabaquin IV, Officer-in-Charge of FDA’s Field Regulatory Operations Office, said only three have been convicted for counterfeit medicine, but no one has been jailed because the court only imposes fines.</p><p>Tabaquin said they welcome the provision of Senate Bill 564, or the proposed Counterfeit Pharmaceutical Products Prevention Act, which would declare large-scale counterfeiting activities as economic sabotage.</p><p>Teston mentioned that the FDA has seized P860 million worth of violative products since 2014. More than P56 million worth of violative and counterfeit health products were seized in the last eight months.</p><p>Some1,531 listings were taken down from November 2025 to January 2026.</p><p>Teston said several illegal peddlers are located outside the country and have local distributors. Penalties include fines ranging from P50,000 to P500,000.</p><p>According to Atty. Gilbert Ordona, Executive Officer of the Bureau of Customs (BOC), the agency verifies the authenticity of documents of products before releasing items from the border of entry.</p><p>Sen. Erwin Tulfo, meanwhile, urged the Philippine National Police (PNP), the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to do their job in scouring the internet for counterfeit medical items.</p><p>“PNP, ACG, CIDG, pakisabi po sa inyong hepe, P813 million po ang inyong intelligence fund for 2026. Binigyan po namin kayo ng P813 million intelligence fund. Kayo naman po sa PDEA meron po kayong kalahating billion na intel funds. Kayo po sa NBI P300 million po,” the younger Tulfo said. “Just do your job.”</p><p>Social media and online selling platforms Facebook, TikTok Shop, Shopee, and Lazada assured that they were doing their best in flagging and taking down fake medical products on their sites.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/business/03/12/20/fda-sets-price-ceiling-for-selling-essential-medicines-supplies-online">FDA sets price ceiling for selling essential medicines, supplies online</a></div>

<p>FDA Director General Attorney Paolo Teston denied allegations that his agency receives bribes from multinational companies for the approval of their certificate of product registration.</p>

FDA Director General Attorney Paolo Teston denied allegations that his agency receives bribes from multinational companies for the approval of their certificate of product registration.

FDA chief denies corruption in agency, says he will not resign

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FDA chief denies corruption in agency, says he will not resign

Victoria Tulad,

ABS-CBN News

Published Jan 27, 2026 03:57 PM PHT

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