Food poisoning downs 61 students in Bataan

At least 61 students of a maritime academy in Bataan were hospitalized Sunday night after eating a pork-tofu dish in Balanga City. The students from the Maritime Academy for Asia and the Pacific complained of stomachaches and dizziness after partaking of tokwa't baboy. "We had luncheon meat and pork-and-beans for breakfast and didn't notice anything unusual. But we felt bad after eating the tokwa't baboy for dinner," dzRH radio quoted Porclas Carpo, one of the students, as saying. Of the 61, a total of 36 students were rushed to the Immaculate Catalina Medical Center (ICMC), 16 to St. Joseph's Hospital, seven to Bataan Doctors Hospital, and two to the Bataan Women's Hospital. Initial investigation showed the incident took place between 7 and 8 p.m. Sunday, when the students were taking their dinner. As of early Monday morning, doctors said the 61 are still under observation. The MAAP website said the academy was established Jan. 14, 1998, and stands on an 11-hectare property in Kamaya Point, Mariveles, Bataan. The Associated Marine Officers and Seaman's Union of the Philippines (AMOSUP) under president Gregorio Oca capitalized and developed the academy. The Academy offers both full degree maritime courses and short-term training programs. The AMOSUP Seamens Training Center is co-located within the MAAP campus. Its board has representatives from the private sector, the Filipino Association of Maritime Employers, the International Transport Workers Federation, the All Japan Seamen's Union, the International Maritime Employers Council, the Danish Shipowners Association, the Norwegian Shipowners Association, and the Japanese Shipowners Association.-GMANews.TV