SURIGAO CITY— Authorities on Friday arrested an official of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Caraga for allegedly selling Chinese medicines not registered with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Francisco Pobe, Comelec Regional Director for Caraga, was nabbed during an entrapment operation by the police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group's Surigao del Norte Field Unit, local police, and the FDA Caraga office.

Pobe was arrested for alleged violation of Republic Act 9711 or the Food and Drug Administration Act of 2009 for selling unregistered capsule Lianhua, which has gained popularity in the Philippines for supposed treatment of COVID-19.

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Authorities confiscated 500 boxes of Lianhua capsule worth P100,000 from the suspect.

FDA Advisory No. 2021-0723 prohibits the sale of unregistered drug Lianhua Qingwen Jiaonang with Chinese characters.

Only the Lianhua Qingwen Jiaonang product with English text, given a Certificate of Product Registration (CPR) by the FDA, has been approved for sale in the country.

Cases are now being prepared against the suspect.

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— Report from Lorilly Charmane D. Awitan