‘Humba’ downs 37 performers

CEBU, Philippines —  Some 37 performers, mostly children and teenagers, landed in hospital in what was suspected to be a case of food poisoning during the Pentecost celebration last Sunday in the IC3 building in Barangay Mabolo, Cebu City.

The performers, who were members of the Archdiocese of Cebu Catholic Charismatic Services, complained of upset stomachs and vomiting after eating their packed lunch, which consisted of rice and braised pork locally known as “humba.”

When the program ended past 4 p.m. that day, several performers began asking for help from members of the Quick Response Team of Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, who were standing by at the site, after feeling discomfort.

As of this writing, the performers were already out of harm’s way.

Investigation

Some of those sent to the hospital said they ate humba with egg packed in a plastic bag and enclosed in styrofoam container, together with rice.

They also said they had noticed that the food had somewhat an unpleasant smell but still ended up consuming it out of hunger after the presentation.

It was fortunate that the QRT was on standby in the area, enabling the performers to get the needed first aid. After getting the go signal from organizers, the response team then brought the victims to private hospitals for appropriate medical attention.

CCDRRMO head Ramil Ayuman said a sample of the complained meal had been sent to the regional surveillance unit of the DOH for further testing.

He said the Cebu City Health Department and Department of Health will investigate how the food was prepared.

The owner of the catering establishment that prepared the food, who surfaced that night, told CDRRMO operations chief Harold Alcontin that she was ready to face investigation.

The caterer admitted she was new to the business, explaining that she used plastic bags to prevent the soup from spilling over.

Expenses Shouldered

Fe Mantuhac-Barino, chairperson of the Commission on the Laity of the Cebu Archdiocese, said that the 37 people were under medical observation for about four to five hours and were then discharged.

She said they were closely monitoring other participants from outside Cebu City and have not received more reports of people falling ill from the packed lunch.

As to the caterer’s potential liability, Barino said they will wait for the official result of the investigation conducted by the authorities before taking any action.

“However, we are not discounting the possibility that the incident was really food poisoning from humba. We are waiting for the official results of the investigation,” she said.

Barino said that the victims were part of a group of performers during the event attended by representatives of charismatic communities in Cebu.

She said the hospital bills incurred during the medical observation period were all paid for by the charismatic communities with the assistance of Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma.

Barino likewise said that the Charismatic Jubilee, which was part of the celebration of 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines, was organized in strict coordination with the COVID-19 Inter-Agency Task Force, Emergency Operations Center, and the Cebu City Government.

She assured that all health protocols were observed.

Meanwhile, Ayuman thanked CDRRMO’s partners, such as the Emergency Rescue Unit Foundation and the Philippine Red Cross, for their response. — JMD (FREEMAN)