Cooked rat bait downs woman, 11 kids in Cotabato

COTABATO CITY, Philippines – Eleven children and a 35-year-old mother were hospitalized yesterday after feasting on cooked rat bait in North Cotabato’s Magpet town.

The victims found the bait of shrimps and fish laced with poison in a pan inside the vehicle of their neighbor, Eisenhower Soroza, in Barangay Amabel.

Magpet Mayor Efren Piñol, said one of the children even brought home some of the bait he scooped from the pan.

“The mother of the child ate the bait because it looked so palatable. She, too, was rushed to the hospital after a few hours,” Piñol said.

Piñol said the victims suffered stomach pains and vomiting.

Piñol said Soroza, who planned to scatter the bait in his farm, has promised to help pay for the medication of the victims.