LAPU LAPU CITY, Philippines -
Nov. 10, 2025 -
PRLog -- Cebu, Philippines – Emmanuel González, CEO and majority owner of Plantation Bay Holdings Corporation, has filed an official complaint with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) against Werdenberg International Corporation, a leading importer of food products for hotels and restaurants. The complaint alleges false labeling of premium imported beef, sale of spoiled meat, and retaliatory actions against Plantation Bay after raising concerns about product quality.
In his letter to DTI Secretary Maria Cristina Aldeguer-Roque, González detailed how Werdenberg supplied a mislabeled slab of beef described as "Prime Rib Bone-in." Anatomically, the cut could not be genuine prime rib because it contained nine ribs instead of the standard seven (ribs 6–12) — a discrepancy that, González said, amounted to "fraudulent labeling." The meat also showed signs of spoilage, including discoloration, dryness, and lack of natural drippings, consistent with multiple thaw-freeze cycles or advanced age.
"By definition and by anatomy, what they sold us was not Prime Rib but a mix of hamburger meat and rib cuts," González stated. "Charging ₱39,000 for meat suitable only for dog food is unconscionable."
When Plantation Bay's Executive Chef filed a customer complaint, Werdenberg allegedly responded with hostility and racial condescension, claiming that well-known chains with foreign chefs accept Werdenberg meat without question. González called this statement an open admission that Werdenberg gives its good meat to foreign hotels, while hoping to pass off its old and mis-labeled stock to Filipino-owned establishments, presuming that Filipinos are too ignorant to know any better, or too awed by white men to complain.
The complaint calls on DTI, as well as the Departments of Tourism and Foreign Affairs, to investigate Werdenberg's labeling and supply practices and ensure accountability among foreign-operated establishments that may knowingly serve inferior imported meat to guests.
"This is about fairness, professionalism, and national pride," González added. "We Filipinos should not be cheated—and then insulted—in our own country."
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