29 Cotabato evacuees fall ill from food poisoning

Twenty-nine earthquake evacuees in Makilala, Cotabato showed symptoms of poisoning after consuming donated food, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) revealed on Tuesday.

"Mayroong pagkain na ibinigay doon galing sa the west of Kidapawan, hindi na-trace kung sino ang nagbigay noon. That resulted to food posoning. Hindi naman siguro sinasadya noong nagbigay," NDRRMC Executive Director Undersecretary Ricardo Jalad said in a press briefing.

"Nine patients were admitted at Kidapawan City hospital, 10 at the provincial hospital, and 10 outpatient at the rural health unit of Makilala,"  he added.

Jalad said that all the affected patients were on the way to recovery.

Given this development, the NDRRMC official urged the public to course their food and medicine donations through evacuation center authorities so that these could be checked for quality.

Jalad added that donors should also make sure that their food donations were not nearing expiration to ensure the safety of refugees. — Dona Magsino/DVM, GMA News