INTERCHEMEX Laboratories Inc. and Franzkate Marketing represented by Atty. Joemax Ortiz and Luisa Macalma on Thursday, October 18, aired their side over the accusation of Patchy Cabuga and her lawyer, Erfe Del Castillo, that the Koi Herbal products the company manufactured were allegedly fake.
Franzkate Marketing was owned by Catherine Cabuga while estranged husband, Francis Rey Cabuga, represented Health First Wellness Laboratories Inc. (FRC18 Herbal Marketing).
Ortiz, in a press conference, said the problem was more on a marital conflict.
He said Francis Rey and Catherine Cabuga were married in 2014 and started Koi products.
But their marriage was faced with deeper misunderstanding and marital differences that started three years ago which led to the couple to go on separate ways, he said.
He said: "if there is already a split in the relationship, all companies are also included. But initially, everything was in order at that time. The Koi herbal products were started by the family of Catherine Cabuga. But because Francis was her husband, everything was conjugal from the management to the operation. In fact, Francis serves as the president of Koi Corporation while Catherine is the treasurer. For all intents and purpose, Koi Corporation is a family corporation.”
He said they are looking forward to a compromise agreement or a settlement between the contending parties.
Both companies are using the same brand, he said.
Koi Corporation has its own manufacturer. On the other hand, Franzkate has also its own manufacturer which is Interchemex Laboratories Inc., Ortiz said.
"First, we will ask ourselves, what is meant by fake? Is it the box containing the capsules of Koi or the Koi itself because if you will examine the products, the ingredients inside that capsule, before it is released by Interchemex Laboratories, Inc., it undergoes several stages or processes. First, it should go to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) which chooses a third party which issues a certificate of assessment or a Certificate of Product Analysis. FDA appoints a third party to determine the raw materials used by the manufacturer. In short, the manufacturer will never process the product, place it is a capsule without passing first the FDA and the third party which was appointed by the FDA that issues a certificate of product analysis. Aside from that, even if they already had that certificate, still the manufacturer Interchemex makes its own analysis,” he explained.
"In what stage was there a fake product? That is why, we do not understand what is meant by fake products,” he added.
Luisa Macalma, authorized representative of Interchemex and President of Rockglen Nutri-Pharma Inc., a sister company of Interchemex, said their company has a Certificate of Product Registration.
"We have a contract with Franzkate. There is a trader and Franzkate is also a distributor. FDA allows a second manufacturer for as long as it is food,” she said.
"Like in my case, I also handle one company with two manufacturers. We have a second manufacturer because if the first manufacturer could no longer supply the demand for the products, the FDA will allow you to get a second manufacturer,” she explained.