Take-home food downs 171, mostly kids, in Lanao

KOLAMBUGAN, Lanao del Norte—At least 171 people, mostly schoolchildren, were rushed to hospitals here and in Ozamiz City due to nausea and vomiting after consuming food packs that they had taken home from a government-sponsored event here on Thursday.

Mayor Lorenzo Manigos told the Inquirer on Friday that the victims earlier attended the turnover ceremony for the P1.3-million school project of the Department of Social Services and Development’s Kapitbisig Laban sa Kahirapan Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services in Barangay Culasihan.

Manigos said after the ceremony, some of the attendees decided to bring their food ration home.

“The food that we partook was almost the same as that of our constituents and the schoolchildren, except that the victims brought their packed lunch home,” the mayor said.

He said he suspected that the food had gone stale by the time the victims ate it.

“The food preparation was done in the afternoon of Nov. 18 but there was a 13-hour power outage that occurred at 7:11 p.m. until 8:30 a.m. of Nov. 19,” Manigos said.

He said the power outage could have helped spoil the food.

Manigos said only those who brought home their ration were taken ill.

He said the victims had been given immediate medical attention. Richel Umel, Inquirer Mindanao