MANILA, Philippines ? Quezon City officials have seized several kilos of suspected ?double dead? pork in Balintawak.

The meat, worth around P140,000, was dumped near several markets in the area, waiting to be picked up by vendors, when it was seized by local authorities last week.

Dr. Ana Marie Cabel, city veterinarian, meanwhile, said that they would step up their raids, especially in Balintawak, considered the dumping ground of ?double dead? pork.

Ronnie Magbalon, chief of the enforcement unit of the Market Development and Administrative Department (MDAD), told the Philippine Daily Inquirer on Tuesday that the pork seized last week may have come from hog farms in Bulacan.

?These are probably rejects or sick hogs which were still sold for a profit,? he said.

Magbalon?s team discovered the meat while they were conducting an inspection of markets and sidewalk stalls in Balintawak at around 11 p.m. Friday.

?There is a high demand for meat during Christmas. We are stepping up our monitoring against double dead pork. We all know it is unsafe so we should not patronize it,? the official said.

He described double dead pork as having a sticky consistency, with a greenish-gray tint and a foul smell.

The MDAD team was not able to make any arrest as people in the area ran away when they spotted the inspectors.

Magbalon said they buried the meat at the Payatas dump to ensure that it would not be resold and eaten by unsuspecting consumers.

Under the Meat Inspection Code or Republic Act 9296, selling ?double dead? meat is punishable by seizure of the product. Dealers caught violating the law will be issued a cease and desist order.