‘Check expiry dates on donations’

The social arm of the Archdiocese of Manila on Monday appealed to the public to check the expiry date on relief goods they donate for Super Typhoon Yolanda victims or these may just end up in the dump. AP FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—The social arm of the Archdiocese of Manila on Monday appealed to the public to check the expiry date on relief goods they donate for Super Typhoon Yolanda victims or these may just end up in the dump.

Caritas Manila executive director Fr. Anton Pascual said donors should check the dates and, if these had expired, should refrain from donating the items.

Expired items intended for Yolanda victims, which included rice, biscuits and noodles, were found in a garbage dump in Palo, Leyte.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development is looking into the dumping of the rotting relief goods.

Pascual said that over the years Caritas Manila had also received expired goods. “It’s not something new but we don’t distribute them anyway,” he said.

“We bury expired food for fertilizer,” he added.

For relief goods that are about to expire, Pascual said Caritas Manila diverts them to poor communities that could easily be reached.—Jocelyn R. Uy