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Tulfo to pay close attention to lingering FDA issues: Sen. Raffy Tulfo chides officials of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for alleged corruption issues hounding the agency. During the plenary deliberations of the proposed 2023 budget of the Department of Health and its attached agencies Thursday, November 17, 2022, Tulfo challenged the officials of the FDA to address issues of alleged corruption in the agency, including deliberate delays in issuing Certificate of Product Registrations and Toxicity Reports for products of business entities. Tulfo also said he received reports that delays in issuing these required documents can range between two and five years and that unnamed FDA officials are asking for illegal payoffs worth P5-20 million to hasten their release. "Rest assured I will not stop until corrupt FDA officials are fired. There are many there that are corrupt. Do a good job, and I'll support you. Do a bad job, and I'll be a monkey on your back," Tulfo said. FDA Director-General, Dr. Samuel A. Zacate promised to address the agency's corruption issues and thanked Tulfo for his guidance and support to cleanse the agency. (Bibo Nueva España/Senate PRIB)