2 dead, 4 hospitalized after eating pork stew in Davao del Sur town

DIGOS CITY – A suspected food poisoning incident killed two siblings in Sta. Cruz town, Davao del Sur province and sent their other family members to a hospital here.

Senior Insp. Arnold Absin, the Sta. Cruz police chief, said on Saturday it was on Thursday when Jobert Rusia, the father, went home with a pork stew, which he got from a neighboring family preparing for a wedding reception in Barangay Bitaug.

Jobert, his wife and their three children had the pork stew for dinner.

A few minutes later, the entire family, including a relative who had joined them, suffered vomiting and nausea and were rushed to a hospital here.

Jolly Mar, 5; and Joe Marie, 3; both died while being treated.

The mother, Marina, 32; her other child Jenrose, 1; and Adoniper, 11, a relative were still being treated as of Saturday.

Jobert told police his family also ate sea shells about 4 p.m. before eating the pork stew at 7:30 p.m.

Their neighbors also ate the same type of sea shells but did not show any sign of illness.

He said he had suspected that it was the pork stew that made them sick.

The Sta. Cruz health office had already taken samples of the pork stew for analysis.

The Inquirer learned that the wedding pushed through on Friday but the pork stew was no longer served to the guests.