HOLY TRINITY COLLEGE OF CAM.

SUR
Don Fortuno St. Santiago Bato Camarines Sur

CASE STUDY
FOOD POISONING
ON
CHILDREN

By:
Ellen Kyrie I. Priela
Student
“FEEDING PROGRAM SENDS 111 MUNTINLUPA FOLK TO HOSPITAL”

More than 100 residents of Muntinlupa City ended up in the hospital on Saturday
afternoon when they experienced symptoms of food poisoning after a feeding program
conducted by a local private school. Of the 111 people who sought treatment at Ospital ng
Muntinlupa, only one was still in the hospital for tests as of Sunday morning. According to
a police report, De La Salle Santiago Zobel School (DLSZ) conducted its “Goodbye Gutom”
feeding program around 8:30 a.m. on Saturday in the NHA Southville 3 housing project,
part of the National Bilibid Prison reservation compound, at Barangay Poblacion,
Muntinlupa City. Around 220 to 250 residents were served breakfast consisting of sauteed
ground pork, rice, boiled eggs, bananas and bottled water.

Food poisoning symptoms

In the afternoon, however, some of them experienced symptoms of food poisoning,

including stomach pains, nausea, vomiting and loose bowel movement. They were taken
to the hospital where they underwent tests and received rehydration therapy before being
discharged. The City Health Office said it was conducting laboratory tests on the samples
of food distributed during the feeding program to confirm if these caused the symptoms.
Residents of NHA-Southville have been regular beneficiaries of DLSZ’s feeding program
for the past four years and this was the first time they complained of food poisoning. In a
statement, the school administration “expressed its sincere apologies and regret” over the
“unfortunate incident.” “Although the alleged food poisoning and the cause for it [have] yet
to be ascertained, DLSZ is exhausting all efforts to assist the affected families,” it said.

School monitoring victims

The school added that it would continue monitoring the recovering residents and extend
“all possible means to help them.” It also suspended the Goodbye Gutom program while
authorities were conducting separate investigations of the incident, adding that it “[would]
put in place appropriate measures to avoid a similar occurrence in the future.”
 “HOT WATER FOR ALLEGEDLY SERVING KIDS ‘ROTTEN’ FOOD”

Three privately run kindergartens in China are in hot water for allegedly serving
children rotten and worm-infested food. The revelation was made known recently after
parents of the students took to the Tongxin Kindergarten in Wuhu, Anhui province, and
accused its staff of serving their children rice with black worms and expired vinegar for
lunch.
The matter has since been investigated by market regulation officials. As per the South
China Morning Post on Sept. 27, officials also conducted checks at the Dedebei
Kindergarten as it’s operated by the same company. In a shocking discovery, they found
out that it also had similar problems with the food.
Following more complaints from other parents, officials also went to Mingzhu
Kindergarten where they found a slew of food-safety violations. A father of a 3-year-old
who studies at Dedebei Kindergarten shared that his son felt sick after starting school for
just three days.
“[He] began complaining of stomachaches in the morning,” the father was quoted as
saying. “At first I thought he was making excuses not to go to school. But now that I think
back, it must have been the spoilt lunches he’d had.” The boy has since undergone a
medical check-up and was found suffering from stomach infection. As per the report, he
was being treated. The probe saw the directors of Tongxin Kindergarten and Dedebei
Kindergarten detained, as well as another employee who was responsible for preparing
the children’s food. Meanwhile, Chen Shaoguang, the vice mayor of Wuhu, said that eight
officials in the local government were being investigated. “We will not miss out on
inspecting even one school cafeteria,” Chen was quoted as saying. “We will not let off
anyone responsible for this.” The Anhui education bureau will be conducting inspections
in schools throughout the province starting next week.
 “‘100 KIDS TAKEN TO PANGASINAN HOSPITAL AFTER EATING
SPOILED GUM.”

SAN CARLOS CITY, Pangasinan, Philippines — More than 100 elementary school
students were taken to a hospital here for suspected food poisoning after they took a fruit-
flavored chewing gum, a health official here said.

Dr. Policarpio Manuel, director of the Pangasinan Provincial Hospital here, said the children
and their parents started arriving in the hospital at about 10 a.m. Thursday, throwing the
hospital’s emergency room into a pandemonium as panicking parents pleaded for medical
attention for their children. Manuel said the children, all students of the Guelew Elementary
School in Barangay Guelew here, were weak and complaining of stomach pain. “We had
to declare ‘blue code,’ which means all doactors and nurses were called to help,” he said.
Supt. Ferdinand de Asis, provincial police spokesperson, said the children began showing
symptoms at 9 a.m. after taking the chewing gum they bought from sari-sari stores near
the school. Christopher Macasias, a teacher, said that after attending the school’s flag
ceremony, the students went to class holding similar boxes of chewing gum in different
flavors. When they started vomiting and complaining of abdominal pain, the teachers called
for jeepneys to take them to the PPH. “We looked at the candies and these were discolored,
stinking and tasted bitter. When we looked at the boxes, the expiration dates were
scratched out,” Macasias said. The children bought the boxes of chewing gums for P2
each, “which was surprising because I know that [this brand of candy] costs around P30
each box,” he said. “The students may have been attracted to the colorful packaging [of the
gum] and its low price,” Macasias said. De Asis said 65 children were put under observation
at the PPH while 45 others were admitted for treatment. Three others were confined at the
Virgen Milagrosa Medical Center here. Krisel Rosario, a Grade 4 pupil, said a classmate
prodded her to buy the chewing gum because it was delicious. She said she bought a box
and shared its contents with her classmates.

Dr. Edwin Guinto, San Carlos City health officer, said samples of the chewing gum
would be submitted to the provincial health office for laboratory testing.
 “RICE’ IN BEIJING TRAIN; 1 SUFFERS FROM FOOD POISONING”

High-speed train in Beijing. Two passengers aboard a high-speed train in Beijing

were served moldy rice, with one suffering from food poisoning, when all they wanted was
to pass their hunger. The men, surnamed Zhu and Xia, purchased ready meals on the
evening of Sept. 8 while on the train to Wuhan city. As per the Hubei Daily via The South
China Morning Post last Sept. 10, Zhu complained to the staff after he found his meal with
“seriously moldy” rice. It was reported that the passengers were given an apology and a
refund by the chief conductor. They, too, were offered two meal packages as replacement
for the moldy ones given to them, but these were rejected. All was too late for Xia, who was
already halfway into his meal when he noticed something was off with his rice. He
immediately started vomiting and suffered from diarrhea. Due to the incident, the China
Railway Guangzhou Group took to its blog last Sept. 9 to report that they have stopped
serving ready meals from the batch that contained the moldy rice. They, too, suspended
supplies from their meal supplier, Shanghai Xincheng Food Company.

Meanwhile, Zhang Shunjun, spokesperson of Shanghai Xincheng Food, said in the report
that they paid a visit to the China Railway group on Sept. 10 to take away their food
products. “We are cooperating with the authorities’ investigation,” Zhang was quoted as
saying. Shanghai Xincheng Food has been supplying ready-made meals to rail companies
since 2007. As per Zhang, their company uses Japanese technology in producing their
meals so these can be stored for up to 90 days or 3 months. “Our meal boxes are legal and
meet food safety standards,” Zhang said in the report. “The only thing is that the public has
a psychological barrier to accepting that a lunchbox has been kept for three months.”

As for the moldy rice, he surmised that it was probably due to damaged packaging.
 “11 CHILDREN IN ANTIPOLO HOSPITALIZED AFTER EATING ‘TUBA-
TUBA’.”

A PARENT shows the inside of a jatropha fruit in Barangay San Nicolas 1, Sasmuan,
Pampanga. REYMOND T. OREJAS/INQUIRER CENTRAL LUZON FILE PHOTO

Eleven children in Antipolo City, Rizal, were hospitalized after eating the fruits of a tuba-
tuba plant, Radyo Inquirer 990AM reported Wednesday.

The report said four of the 11 victims are confined at the Amang Rodriguez Memorial
Medical Center in Marikina City while the others are being treated at the Rizal General
Hospital in Rizal. All of the children are now in stable condition.

Around 11 a.m. on Tuesday, the children ate the fruits of a tuba-tuba plant (Jatropha
curcas), which were given away by one of their playmates.

The children, who are between five to 11 years old, started experiencing headache,
stomach pains, vomiting and diarrhea hours later. They were rushed to the hospital around
8 p.m. on Tuesday.

It was confirmed that they were poisoned by the tuba-tuba fruits.

Tuba-tuba or tubang bakod is primarily cultivated in the Philippines for its seed oil, which is
a raw material for candles, soap, varnish, and lamp oil. It has been known as a substitute
for diesel oil.

The sap, wood, oil and leaves of the plant are used in herbal medicine to treat wounds,
rheumatism, skin diseases and stomach ache. Its boiled roots and leaves have also been
used to treat diarrhea.
 “ ‘POISONOUS’ DURIAN CANDY: 1,350 SICK, 12 ARRESTED.”

TAGUM CITY – Police authorities in Surigao del Sur have so far arrested 12 people,
who reportedly sold durian candies that downed over 1,300 people in the said province –
mostly children – on Friday. As this developed, the supposed manufacturer of the candies,
Davao City-based Wendy’s, issued a statement disowning the products even as Davao
City Acting Mayor Paolo Duterte ordered a probe of where the poisonous sweets had come
from. Supt. Martin Gamba, spokesperson of the Caraga police, said the arrests were made
in the towns of Cagwait, Tago and Tagbina and in the city of Tandag when authorities
conducted pursuit operations against ambulant vendors said to be responsible for the
proliferation of the candies. He said those initially arrested during the pursuit operations
were Junnil Martinez, 30; John Oben, 36; and Joel Paja, all of Calinan, Davao City.

Gamba said during follow up operations, elements of the Tago police station
arrested Richard Rivera Jr., 28; and Martinez Bocaycay, 19; both residents of Calinan. A
white Mitsubishi L-300 FB Deluxe with license plates MEM366 and registered under the
name of Pastor Apollo C. Quiboloy of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ based in Davao was
also seized. The other arrested suspects were Genelyn Pasa, 26, of Bucana, Davao City;
and Henry Amoguis, 21, of Valencia City, Bukidnon, who were caught in the act of selling
Wendy’s durian, mango and mangosteen candies at the premises of the Special Education
Elementary School in Tandag City. He did not identify the rest of the arrested suspects,
who were now under custody of various police units in the province. “I already issued a
memorandum to all chiefs of police, mayors and school principals to stay vigilant against
(unscrupulous ambulant vendors),” Surigao del Sur Gov. Johnny Pimentel told the Inquirer
by phone. He said so far, 1350 persons had suffered nausea, vomiting and abdominal
cramps from consuming the candies tainted with still unidentified contaminant. But Pimentel
said so far, no one had died from ingesting the contaminated candies.

Gamba said the confiscated items had been turned over to the Department of Health
in Tandag for examination while charges of physical injury in relation to violation of Republic
Act 10611 or Food Safety Act; and other charges were being readied against the arrested
suspects. The Surigao del Sur food poisoning incident came after about 40 pupils in
Kidapawan City also complained of nausea and abdominal pains after consuming durian
candies, which were labeled Wendy’s, on Thursday. As in the Surigao del Sur case, the
candies were sold by ambulant vendors, according to authorities there. Dr. Gerry Reyes,
Kidapawan City Hospital resident physician, said other victims had suffered vomiting. “The
cases of the food poisoning were very mild but still, we considered them as food poisoning
since the symptoms such as abdominal pain and nausea were there,” Reyes said. In a
statement, Wendy’s said the candies were probably made to look like it manufactured them.

The candy manufacturer said based on information that reached them, the tainted candies
sold to the victims came in packs of 10.

“Our products are being sold at bags of 100 only,” Wendy’s said.

Amid the candy manufacturer’s disowning of the tainted candies, Duterte ordered an urgent
investigation into the incidents.

Duterte also ordered the City Health Office to send sanitary inspectors to various durian
candy manufacturers in the city, even as he said it was not conclusive that the tainted
products came from Davao City.

“We are doing everything to get to the bottom of this,” he said, adding that the issue was
urgent because it involved public interest.
 “SIOPAO DOWNS 15 KIDS IN NORTH COTABATO.”

FIFTEEN students were hospitalized after eating siopao bought from their school
canteen in Aleosan, North Cotabato, police confirmed Monday.

Nine victims were at admitted at the Aleosan District Hospital while six were already
discharged, North Cotabato provincial police spokesman Superintendent Bernard Tayong
said.

The victims, all students of the Dualing Central Elementary School, experienced abdominal
pain and vomiting a few minutes after eating siopao during their recess on July 9, Tayong
said.

All of the victims are Grade 5 pupils aged 9 to 11, he said.

Dr. Nessel Lontiong Mondoñedo, the physician who looked after the pupils, declared that
they suffered acute gastritis after eating siopao.

School principal Joel Calambro told police that one Jane Miranda had delivered 100 pieces
of siopao to the school canteen and 67 were sold, Tayong said.

Investigators learned that Miranda had been supplying siopao to the school canteen for
years but this is the first time for such an incident to happen, he said.

Despite that, it is still believed that the siopao caused the students to fall ill because it was
learned that “some of these were not newly cooked,” Tayong said.

Local police recommended that the victims’ parents file charges of violation of Republic Act
7394, or the Consumer Act, against either the school canteen personnel or supplier, he
said.
 “50 MORE STUDENT-ATHLETES GET SICK IN SPORTS MEET.”

Davao City officials are reminding leaders of delegations to the Davao Region
Athletic Association meet to ensure that food and water served to students and coaches
are clean to avoid poisoning cases.

DAVAO CITY — At least 50 more athletes competing in this year’s Davao Region Athletic
Association games hosted by the city government fell sick on Sunday night, barely a day
after 38 others, including some coaches, were taken to hospitals over suspected food
poisoning. But Jenilito Atillo, spokesperson for the Department of Education (DepEd) in
Southern Mindanao, said although the 50 athletes from Tagum City and the provinces of
Davao del Norte, Compostela Valley and Davao Oriental had complained of abdominal
pains, vomiting and nausea, it was still unclear what caused these pending results of an
investigation being done by the Davao City health office. He said Alberto Escobarte, DepEd
Southern Mindanao director, had already ordered an investigation into the incident, as well
as Saturday’s food poisoning that downed 38 athletes and coaches from Mati City. Earlier,
Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio said it appeared that Saturday’s food poisoning was triggered
by the serving of leftover food. Carpio said food served to Mati athletes and coaches on
Saturday was prepared and cooked by the kitchen staff that the contingent brought in for
the games. “It was likewise reported that they may have allowed the athletes to drink from
water sources not cleared for human consumption,” she said. Atillo said 32 of 50 athletes
who got sick on Sunday had been taken to the Southern Philippines Medical Center
(SPMC) here for further medical attention. Those taken to the hospital mostly came from
the Tagum City contingent.

He said 31 had been discharged also on Sunday while the remaining athlete taken
to SPMC was scheduled to leave the hospital on Monday.
 “FOOD POISONING AGAIN? MA, 7 KIDS HOSPITALIZED AFTER
EATING CAKE.”

ILOILO CITY—Seven children and a mother were hospitalized on Monday for

suspected food poisoning after eating a homemade ube cake in Oton town, 15 kilometers
from here.
The children aged 3 to 12 and pupils of Pakiad Elementary School in Oton, as well as
Evelyn Mirasol, 56, were brought to the Western Visayas Medical Center in Iloilo City. Gerry
Gayoma, Pakiad Elementary School principal, said the cake with ube (purple yam) and
chocolate filling was sold by the mother of one of the pupils of the Pakiad Elementary
School. Mirasol ate the cake brought home by her daughter. The victims were brought to
the hospital from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. after they fell ill and experienced loose bowel movement,
weakness and vomiting, according to initial police investigation.

PO2 Ma. Ellen Doliguez of Oton police Women and Children’s protection desk, said five
were confined at the Western Visayas Medical Center. The rest were under observation.

The five were siblings Micha and Frednel Castillo, siblings John Arken and John Yuan Estil,
and John Fritz Gilladoga.

Siblings Eljhay Len and Eljhay Nino Jamoles and Mirasol were placed under observation.

Dr. Jesse Glen Alonsabe, Department of Health in Western Visayas spokesperson, said
samples of the ube chocolate roll were sent to Research Institute for Tropical Medicine in
Manila for laboratory tests. Results would be released after two days.

This is the latest suspected case of food poisoning following the death of a milk tea shop
owner and a customer in Manila and the illness of close to 2,000 people who consumed
durian candies in Mindanao.
 “1 DEAD, THREE HOSPITALIZED AFTER FEASTING ON OYSTERS.”

TACLOBAN CITY—An 81-year-old man from Cabucgayan town in Biliran province

died while three others had fallen ill on Wednesday after they ate oysters suspected to be
contaminated with red tide toxins.
Dr. Nancy Dayap, aquaculturist of the regional office of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic
Resources (BFAR), said Agustin Dacalos died at the Naval Provincial Hospital (NPH) in
Naval town, Biliran while he was being treated. Three other residents of the village—Flora
Aguang, 71; Emelita Lamoste, 46 and Hernani Gayrama, 71—were also brought to the
NPH due to red tide poisoning. Dayap, in a phone interview, said based on information she
gathered from Teresita Anota, village chair of Balaquid, the villagers cooked leaf oysters
locally called “masabay” during a Christmas gathering. The oysters were bought from a
fisherman from the nearby village of Basud on Wednesday. Anota and other villagers
started to suffer from stomach pains and vomit hours after eating the masabay, Dayap said.

Antidote

According to Dayap, many of the villagers who survived the poisoning had been given
coconut milk to drink. Coconut milk, she said, is effective in flushing out red tide toxins.
Dacalos, the lone fatality, and those taken to hospitals were unable to drink coconut milk.
Dayap said the oysters eaten by the victims may have been harvested from the waters off
Carigara Bay, one of seven bays in Eastern Visayas that remain contaminated by red tide.
The six others are Cambatutay Bay and Irong-Irong Bay in Samar, the coastal waters of
Leyte, Matarinao Bay in Eastern Samar, the coastal water of Calubian, Leyte, and the
coastal waters of Naval, Biliran. The gathering, sale and consumption of all kinds of shellfish
in these areas had been prohibited.

High level of toxins

The BFAR said the level of toxins found in these areas exceed the safe limit for seawater
of 10 cells per liter. It said the density of toxins in these areas is as high as 600 cells per
liter. The BFAR had raised a red tide alert in Irong-Irong Bay in Western Samar as early as
June. In an advisory issued that month, the BFAR said “all types of shellfish gathered from
the area are not safe for human consumption.”
 “100 KIDS IN BACOLOD SCHOOL POISONED.”

BACOLOD CITY—At least 100 students from an elementary school here had been
rushed to hospitals on Thursday and Friday after showing symptoms of food poisoning.
The students of Handumanan Elementary School 1 (HES), with ages ranging from 10-12
years old, were first believed to have fallen ill after either drinking dirty water or eating
contaminated food. Results of tests made at private hospitals where the children were
brought showed that the students were stricken by cholera and amoebiasis, diseases often
associated with dirty water or food. Ma. Febe Legaspi, village chief of Handumanan, said
the stream of students being brought to hospitals started on Oct. 13.

Trigger

Authorities are still investigating what the students ate or drank that triggered the poisoning.
On Friday, 104 patients had been rushed mostly to the Corazon Locsin Memorial Regional
Hospital and a few to Our Lady of Mercy Specialty Hospital and the Doctors Hospital,
Legaspi said. They complained of stomach ache, were vomiting and suffering from loose
bowel movement, Legaspi said. Legaspi said any of the food or drinks being sold in the
school canteen and stalls outside school could have caused the poisoning. Among these
are juice, halo-halo and fried chicken, said Legaspi.

Grade school

The sickened students were enrolled in Grades 1 to 6 in the school.

A few students from another school, Handumanan Elementary School 2, had been
sickened, too, after they bought food also from the HES 1 canteen. Cynthia Dimavivas,
schools division superintendent, suspended classes in both schools until Monday. HES 1
Principal Milagros Macayan ordered the canteen and food stalls outside the school to
temporarily close as recommended by the city health office. City health officer Dr. Grace
Tan had taken food samples from food stalls, the canteen and ambulant vendors.
 “29 STUDENTS DOWNED BY COFFEE DRINKS IN CEBU CITY.”

CEBU CITY — High school students of the Concord Technical Institute in Cebu City
were rushed to the hospital on Wednesday due to stomach pains, dizziness, palpitations,
and vomiting after drinking free samples of a coffee drink.
At least 29 students were being treated at the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) as of 5
p.m., said Nagiel Bañacia, chief of the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction Management
Office (CCDRRMC). The students were in stable condition at the hospital. “Maybe, they
can go home tonight (Wednesday),” Bañacia said.
He said they would ask the manufacturer and distributor of Kopiko 78 degrees coffee drink
to explain the apparent food poisoning suffered by the students after they drank their
samples, while school officials were directed to submit an incident report. Samples of
Kopiko 78 degrees coffee were distributed to teachers and students at Concord Technical
Institute in the morning. By 11 a.m., some of the students who drank the coffee started
suffering stomach pains and vomiting. The school nurse attended to the first batch of
students who fell ill after they drank samples of Kopiko 78 degrees. But more students
sought medical attention later on, prompting school officials to seek the assistance of the
Cebu City Command Control Center. Bañacia said he sent six ambulances to the school
to transport the students to CCMC. He said they also took samples of the coffee and
submitted them to the Department of Science and Technology for laboratory tests. The
school administrator, Joseph Ty, told Bañacia that students below 18 years old were not
allowed to get samples of the coffee. But Liza Travio, an officer of the school’s records
section, said some students under 18 years old still managed to get samples of Kopiko 78
degrees. “Kini laging naa gyuy mga sipat. (There are really some naughty students),” she
said in an interview. Not one of the teachers who drank samples of the coffee felt bad. The
coffee’s expiry date indicated on the packet was May 23, 2017, Travio said.
 “FOOD POISONING DOWNS 38 BOHOL STUDENTS, CLASS
ADVISER.”

At least 38 students and an adviser of the San Roque National High School in Albur
town, Bohol province, were brought to Gov. Celestino Gallares Memorial Hospital in
Tagbilaran City after experiencing symptoms of food poisoning on Wednesday, July 27,
2016. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol — At least 38 students and a class adviser of a senior high
school in Albur town, Bohol province, fell ill of food poisoning on Wednesday, which was
believed to have been caused by food bought by the school.
The patients – all Grade 11 students of the San Roque National High School in East
Poblacion — complained of dizziness, stomach pain and headache, and showed
symptoms of diarrhea. San Roque National High School has at least 1,000 students.
Parents said their children started manifesting symptoms of food poisoning on
Tuesday night. By Wednesday, they developed fever. At about 10 a.m. on
Wednesday, more students were brought to the Gov. Celestino Gallares Memorial
Hospital (GCGMH) in Tagbilaran City. Hospital personnel confirmed that the students were
ill of food poisoning. School principal Ambrosio Fuerzas said the patients recalled eating
kinilaw (raw fish in vinegar), fried chicken, rice, noodles and “butsi (glutinous rice with
sweetened mung bean)” and drinking juice they brought from home for their acquaintance
party on Tuesday.

“They had a boodle fight during our acquaintance party,” said Fuerzas.

Kristine Joy Dumadan, 16, said that she had a severe headache and stomach pain
by Wednesday morning.
She said she did not notice anything wrong with the food except for the rice, which was
undercooked.
“33 HOSPITALIZED AFTER EATING FRUIT SALAD AT CEBU FIESTA.”

CEBU CITY–At least 33 persons were hospitalized in Minglanilla town, southern

Cebu, complaining of abdominal pains, vomiting and fever after eating fruit salad served in
the house of a village watchman in Naga City, Cebu. Councilor Carmelino Cruz Jr. of Naga
City said some victims were brought to the Minglanilla District Hospital about 11 a.m. on
Sunday but most were brought in in the evening. Dr. Andres Gestopa of the hospital said
11 patients were discharged on Monday morning while the rest were still under
observation. He said they reported the matter to the Department of Health and had taken
samples of the fruit for laboratory examination to determine if this was a case of food
poisoning.

Cruz, chair of the Naga City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council, said the
victims are residents of the neighboring Barangay Tangke who attended a fiesta celebration
in Sitio Kapanang, Barangay Naalad in Naga City, 21.7 km south of here, on Saturday
night. They were served fruit salad while in the house of a barangay tanod. “They started
vomiting and their stomachs hurt. Some had fever,” said Cruz. Naga City Mayor Valdemar
Chiong said he ordered Cruz to send medicines and dextrose to the hospital. He also sent
P20,000 in cash for the victims’ other needs.
“3 KIDS DEAD, PARENTS HOSPITALIZED AFTER EATING ‘ALAMANG’
IN CAMNORTE”

LEGAZPI CITY—-Three children died while their parents were taken to a hospital in
Camarines Norte province on Tuesday after they ate an “alamang” (shrimp fry) dish that
was suspected to be cooked using contaminated salt, police said on Wednesday. Chief
Insp. Victor Abarca, Jose Panganiban town police chief, said siblings John and Princess
Gallon, 5 and 2 years old, respectively, died while being taken to the Jose Panganiban
Primary Hospital. Their older brother, Mark, 7, died while being taken to the Camarines
Norte Provincial Hospital (CNPH) in Daet town, the same hospital where their parents,
Valentino, 26, and Jessa, 26, were confined. Abarca said the Gallon family lives in
Barangay (village) Parang in Jose Panganiban, where Valentino works as a fisherman. He
said the alamang that the family had for lunch on Tuesday was fished out early that day by
Valentino off the waters of Santa Milagrosa village.
By 3:30 p.m., Abarca said family members complained of stomach ache and started
vomiting. Personnel of the town’s rural health unit (RHU) suspected that whoever cooked
the dish might have mixed the contaminated salt into the alamang. They said other
fishermen and their families who ate the shrimp fry caught that day in the town did not report
any food poisoning case. Abarca said investigators took samples of the salt used by the
family and discovered that this smelled foul. RHU personnel took salt samples to the
Department of Health (DOH) laboratory unit here for toxin tests.
 “13 ILOILO PUPILS HOSPITALIZED AFTER TAKING VITAMINS GIVEN
BY CLASSMATE.”

ILOILO CITY – Thirteen grade four pupils of San Enrique Elementary School in San
Enrique town in Iloilo were hospitalized on Wednesday in an apparent case of poisoning.

Information gathered from the area disclosed that the pupils felt dizzy and vomited after
taking a food supplement given to them by their classmate after they took their lunch.

According to one informant who lives near the school campus who refused to be identified,
the pupils had their lunch. After their lunch one of the unnamed classmate offered them to
take an imported vitamins. The pupils then lined up for the vitamins.

After more than an hour the pupils suffered dizziness and vomiting which prompted school
authorities to bring the pupils to Don Valerio Palmares Memorial District Hospital in nearby
Passi City for treatment.

Dr. Jessie Glen Alonsabe, Head of Regional Epidemiology Center of Department of Health
(DOH) 6, is currently gathering data on the incident. This incident comes as the City of Iloilo
is busy for the preparation of its hosting of Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit next
week which will be attended by not less than 1,000 delegates from all over Asia-Pacific
Region.

This is the fifth case of poisoning in Iloilo province after 8 were hospitalized after eating jelly
roll in Oton last June; 105 wedding guest were downed after eating in the reception in
Estancia last July; at least 4 pupils were downed after eating chocolate candy in Pavia also
in July and 47 partygoers were hospitalized in Sta. Barbara after eating food serve in a
birthday party last August.
 “47 FALL ILL AFTER PARTY IN ILOILO TOWN; FOOD POISONING
SUSPECTED.”

ILOILO CITY, Philippines – Forty seven party goers were hospitalized in Sta. Barbara
town in Iloilo Province in a latest case of possible food poisoning.

The municipal health officer, Dr. Gemma Monserate, confirmed that 47 people got
sick Monday morning after they attended a birthday party at the house of the Lagunday
family in Brgy. San Sebastian in Sta. Barbara. The party goers suffered stomach ache,
fever, vomiting and diarrhea around 11:30 a.m. Monday, barely two hours after they ate
spaghetti, salad, pancit, valenciana, chicken drum stick and stew. Forty-five patients
remained confined at the Western Visayas Sanitarium Hospital in Sta. Barabara and were
still under observation, as of Tuesday, while two were discharged from the hospital.
Eleseo Lagunday, the father of the unnamed birthday celebrant, confirmed that all of the
patients partook of the valenciana and pancit.

Lagunday said those who did not eat valenciana and pancit were spared from poisoning.
He added his family prepared the food, except the chicken drumstick.

Han Soyen Somogod, the sanitation inspector of Sta. Barabara said they would send food
samples to the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) for laboratory tests. They will also
inspect the suppliers of the ingredients used in the food served by the Lagunday family.

This would be the fourth case of food poisoning in the province of Iloilo in the past two
months. In July, nine pupils from the municipality of Oton were hospitalized after consuming
jelly roll cakes. Six pupils were also hospitalized in the town of Pavia after eating chocolate
candy last July. In another case, 105 guests also suffered food poisoning after attending a
wedding reception in Estancia town a month ago.
 “WEDDING FEAST DOWNS 100 GUESTS IN ILOILO.”
A wedding feast at a town in Iloilo province turned into an unpleasant reception when
more than 100 people, including a bridesmaid, fell ill on Saturday night after partaking of
dishes like afritada, arroz à la valenciana and estofado. Another possible case of food
poisoning was reported in Batangas City on Saturday, adding to the growing list of cases
involving spoiled food across the country over the past several weeks. Officials of Batangas
State University (BSU) have submitted for laboratory tests food samples, including
spaghetti, served during its acquaintance party, after 25 students reportedly suffered from
food poisoning. In Estancia, Iloilo, at least 74 persons were brought to the hospital while 30
others were treated at home after they complained of dizziness, vomiting and diarrhea.

British groom

Most of the patients were among the 300 guests who attended the wedding reception of a
Filipino bride and her British groom at her home in Barangay (village) Gogo, about 153
kilometers northeast of Iloilo City. Others ate the food brought home from the party, said
Dr. Ma. Socorro Colmenares-Quiñon, coordinator of the provincial epidemiological
surveillance unit. She said health personnel took samples of the food served at the feast to
determine the source and cause of the suspected poisoning.

Toddler

One of the dishes examined was afritada, a tomato-based pork stew, because a 2-year-old
girl ate only afritada that her father had brought home from the reception, according to
Quiñon. Janine Belonio started vomiting and suffered diarrhea that she had to be brought
to Jesus M. Colmenares District Hospital in the neighboring town of Balasan. She was still
confined in the hospital and was scheduled to be released on Tuesday. Other dishes
served at the reception were valenciana (a Filipino version of arroz à la paella made of
sticky rice, chorizo, egg and pork), Bicol Express (pork cooked in coconut milk with chili
and shrimp paste) and estofado (pork stew served with fried plantains).

2 cows, 2 pigs slaughtered

Quiñon said the bride’s family had two cows and two pigs slaughtered for the reception,
and had hired two cooks to prepare the food. The bride’s father invited neighbors in the
village to the wedding feast. Quiñon declined to identify the bride, groom and the bride’s
family. The food was cooked by 2 a.m. on Saturday and was served at noon of the same
day, or 10 hours later, to about 300 guests in the bride’s home, she said. By 11 p.m. on
Saturday, the guests started feeling ill. Seventy-four of those affected, including children,
were brought to Jesus M. Colmenares District Hospital on Sunday where they were given
an oral rehydration solution and antibiotics, Quiñon said. About 30 others took medications
at home, she added. Only five of the 74 patients were still confined in the hospital and were
expected to be released on Tuesday. They included Belonio; Jinky Bantila, 17, one of the
bridesmaids; Briana Mie Jaen, 8; and Jhon Stephen Fuentes, 11.

Food analyzed

Samples of the food served at the feast would be sent to the Research Institute for Tropical
Medicine in Muntinlupa City for analysis. In Batangas City, Dr. Tirso Ronquillo, BSU
president, on Monday said that while “most of the students” had been discharged from
hospitals, the university would continue working with authorities in investigating the
incident. On Aug. 8, 25 BSU students, from different year levels and colleges, were rushed
to hospitals after vomiting and showing signs of possible food poisoning.

Acquaintance party

The students were among the 4,048 BSU students and faculty members who attended the
annual acquaintance party. In a separate phone interview, the Batangas City police chief,
Supt. Danilo Mendoza, said there were six stalls set up inside the university that provided
a variety of foods during the event. Among the food samples submitted to the Bureau of
Food and Drug Administration were spaghetti, chicken, pizza and burgers, he said.
Ronquillo said the stalls were owned by local business operators. They provided the food
that the students had chosen to be served at the party, the police chief said.

He said the police could not immediately disclose the names of the food businesses until
the laboratory results were out.
 “BAD ‘PANCIT MALABON’ DOWNS 44 IN LIGAO CITY.”

LIGAO CITY—Ashley Aganoy, 8, came home on Monday afternoon from school

with a plate of “pancit Malabon” laid out on the table, a take-home food from a birthday
party her mother had gone to.

It did not take long after eating the noodles for the girl to begin to feel severe stomach
cramps. She became nauseous and started vomiting, so her mother rushed her to the city’s
government hospital. Aganoy, of Barangay Guilid, was one of 44 people, ages ranging from
1 to 88 years, who fell ill after eating the noodles bought from AC Take Out, a food store in
Barangay Calsada, health officials said. Most of them ate the spoiled food during the party
or bought it from the same store, said Dr. Nathaniel Rempillo, provincial health officer. “All
of the patients are safe but need proper medication for their fast recovery,” he said. “The
food tasted normal and had no foul odor. But several hours after we ate, I began to feel
different,” said Alvin Barcenal, 20, of Barangay Tuburan. He and his sister Shiena, 21;
Aganoy and most of the victims were brought to Josefina Belmonte Memorial District
Hospital shortly before midnight, while four were taken to Garcia Hospital. Even the mother
of the young birthday celebrator, Lalaine Joy Sacabon, was not spared from the food
poisoning and was hospitalized. Ada Repomanta, 37, of Barangay Sabang, Oas town, said
she did not know that the small serving of noodles she fed her baby could send the child to
the hospital. The food was given to her by a friend who bought it from the store on Monday.
According to city health officer Dr. Wynns Samar, the store has two registered workers—
the owner and a helper—who both carry health cards. It was legally operating and had a
sanitary permit, he said. The city government ordered the store’s temporary closure. Samar
said the cause of food poisoning was still being determined. Results of a laboratory
examination at the Department of Health regional office in Legazpi City were still being
awaited.
 “QC STUDENTS DOWNED BY CANDY MANIFEST PESTICIDE
POISONING.”

Signs of pesticide poisoning have been detected in the case of the nine high shool
students who fell ill Thursday after eating candies sold by an ambulant vendor on their
Quezon City campus. “We’re considering the possibility of organophosphate poisoning, but
still we have to confirm it through a final result coming from PGH (Philippine General
Hospital). Organophosphate is a kind of chemical found in insecticides,” Dr. Jojo Mercado,
spokesperson of Quirino Memorial Medical Center (QMMC), told reporters Friday. Nine
students of Juan Sumulong High School were brought to QMMC due to stomach pains and
vomiting after they ate sweets sold by a young man who introduced himself as a self-
supporting student who needed a source of income. The still unidentified man went room
to room, offering mostly macapuno-flavored candies. Eight of the nine students were in
stable condition as of Friday and may be discharged Saturday morning, Mercado said. The
ninth student, a 16-year-old who consumed 36 pieces of the macapuno-flavored candy,
was still at the pediatric intensive care unit where she remained under observation for her
irregular heartbeat, one of the symptoms of organophosphate poisoning, the doctor added.
The hospital has sent the students’ blood samples to PGH while candy samples were sent
to the Food and Drug Administration. Dr. Verdades Peña-Linga of the Quezon City Health
Department said her office would conduct further epidemiological investigation on Monday.
“We will go to the school and find out who else among the children manifested mild
symptoms of poisoning,” she said. Meanwhile, the Quezon City Police District has yet to
identify the candy vendor, described to be a man in his 20s. The QCPD-Cubao station,
headed by Supt. Marlou Martinez, has also requested security camera videos from
establishments near the school. The packaging of the candies showed that they were
manufactured by Kaykenmark Sweets Special Candies of Calauan, Laguna province.
Reached on the phone on Friday, Eliza Oliva, wife of the company owner, declined making
further comment on the incident, saying their lawyer would issue a statement shortly.

In an earlier interview, Oliva said this was the first time for their 15-year-old company to
receive a complaint about product contamination, but maintained that the problem could
not have possibly come from their end. She said they were willing to cooperate in the
investigation and would welcome an inspection of their factory.