SAN PEDRO, Laguna, Philippines—The city government of Sta. Rosa in Laguna ordered on Thursday the inspection of all food establishments at a popular mall in the city after around 300 teachers and students fell ill allegedly due to food served by a mall restaurant during Tuesday’s Teachers’ Day celebration.
City Mayor Arlene Arcillas said on Thursday that while tests have not confirmed that the food catered by the branch of the restaurant Pancit sa Bilao caused the poisoning, the inspection was called for to ensure the establishments’ compliance with food sanitary measures.
Following a meeting with Department of Education (DepEd) officials and the city government, the restaurant has agreed to shoulder the hospital expenses and promised to provide medical assistance to those affected but were not hospitalized, the lady mayor said.
Arcillas said a food sample was already submitted to the Bureau of Food and Drugs for testing.
None of the teachers have filed a complaint against the restaurant, a regular caterer during city government events and activities, the mayor said.
Around 1,500 elementary and high-school teachers in the city and some students joined the Teachers’ Day program organized by the DepEd at the activity area of a mall on Tuesday. They were served with pancit palabok catered by the Pancit sa Bilao.
The teachers began vomiting and complaining of stomach upset and diarrhea when they got home that day while others suffered the same symptoms by early morning Wednesday, Arcillas said in a phone interview.
A report from the DepEd said 285 people, including 24 students, were initially downed by suspected food poisoning. Forty-six people were taken to the hospitals, of whom 34 were confined until Wednesday.
As of Thursday, Arcillas said 321 teachers and 26 pupils were still “affected” by the poisoning.
“That number should not go up anymore because the doctors said they should have discharged (the toxins) by this time,” Arcillas said.