Spoiled vegetable downs 68 teachers in Legazpi

LEGAZPI CITY — It could have been a happy gathering of some 1,901 public elementary and high school teachers at the Ibalong Center for Recreation (ICR).

But a spoiled vegetable served with pork chop for lunch sent some 68 teachers to different hospitals in this city for stomach ache, vomiting and dizziness.

Reports said that 41 teachers were rushed to the Bicol Regional Training and Teaching Hospital (BRTTH). Ten each were also brought to the Ago Memorial Hospital and the Aquinas Hospital while two were confined at the Sta. Terresita Hospital.

The victims were from 1,200 different public elementary and secondary schools here who attended the annual Christmas party tendered by the city government.

Legazpi City Mayor Noel Rosal said he already ordered an investigation of the incident, which at present was being partly blamed to his administration.

"I already ordered the city health officials to investigate the incident to know who should take responsibility, if there is any, to what had happened," Rosal said.

The victims claimed that they started to experience stomach pain, severe headache, diarrhea and vomitting, a few hours after eating porkchop and "pinakbet" served at the party.

Zoraida Revelo, principal of the Mabinit Elementary School here who was one of the victims, told The STAR that she started to vomit and experience diarrhea at about 8 p.m.

Revelo and several other victims believed that it was the food from the party that poisoned them although they had attended separate district schools’ parties after the ICR party.

Dr. Butch Rivera, BRTTH chief, said that they will subject the victims’ feces to stool analysis to determine what really triggered the food poisoning. — With Celso Amo