No dog meat in siomai sold in Tagum City, says health official

Source: MindaNews

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 06 March) - It is not true that siomai and other street foods being sold in Tagum City contain dog meat, the head of the City Health Office there said.

"Please be advised that the circulating news about the siomai products containing dog meat is not validated," Dr. Arnel Florendo said in a statement posted March 5 on their Facebook page.

The statement was issued in response to a post by the Facebook page TAGUM Updated on March 2 at 11:55 a.m. showing a photocard that says "SUPPLIER SA MGA SIOMAI UG UBAN PANG STREET FOODS SA TAGUM CITY, NAHIBAW-AN NGA GIKAN DIAY SA KARNE SA IRO (Supplier of siomai and other street food in Tagum City were discovered to have sourced them from dog meat)!"

Siomai is a traditional Chinese dumpling dish that has become popular across various Asian countries, including the Philippines. It typically consists of a mixture of ground pork, shrimp, and various seasonings, wrapped in thin dough wrappers, and then steamed.

Florendo said they have not received complaints of the so-called dog-meat siomai in Tagum City.

"We understand that these rumors can cause significant concern and anxiety. We encourage everyone to use caution and refrain from posting unreliable information on social media, as this could cause panic and damage local livelihoods," he said.

In an interview posted on government-owned Radyo Pilipinas Davao on Tuesday, Florendo said most of the siomai supplies sold in Tagum City are from Davao City, emphasizing that "they trust the monitoring and health standards" implemented by the local government here.

The official called the claim "a fallacious information" and "fake news" since the Facebook page did not even name a single agency as the source.

"Para sa amoa ma-conclude namo to nga fake news to siya, wala'y lain, wala'y follow-up ato sa pagsusi namo (For us we can conclude that it is fake news, no follow up needed as per our investigation)," he said.

He added that because of the seemingly trivial post the local government has received complaints from sellers due to concerns that nobody now wants to buy siomai in the city.

He, however, assured that the City Legal Office is now considering possible actions to address this issue. (Ian Carl Espinosa/MindaNews)