Over 100 people hit with alleged food poisoning in Sulu after eating snacks provided by AFP —PDRRMO

At least 100 individuals in Sulu, many of them children, suffered from alleged food poisoning after eating a snack provided by troops from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (PDRRMO) said Monday.

Interviewed on Super Radyo dzBB, Sulu PDRRMO officer Julkipli Ahijon Jr. said most of them were boy scouts and girl scouts aged nine to 13, who went on a camping trip along with their teachers and parents in a mountain where AFP troops were also deployed. 

Ahijon added that 56 victims were admitted in hospitals, while 46 were tagged as outpatients after eating a dessert called "binignit".

“Nung last day nila, may nag-sponsor ng snacks na tinatawag nila na binignit. Allegedly, after nila kumain, doon na sila nahilo at saka nagsusuka".

(On their last day, someone sponsored snacks called binignit. After eating the snack, they allegedly got dizzy and started vomiting.)

“‘Yung bundok kasi na kung san ginanap ‘yung [camping], may mga kasama tayong AFP doon. May iba-ibang units ang nandoon sa taas. Inaalam natin, hindi ko pa masabi kung anong unit talaga ang nagpakain dahil under investigation pa… Yes po, sundalo [ang nagpakain],” he continued.

(There were AFP troops where the camping was held. There were various units there. I couldn't say yet which unit provided the snack as it is still under investigation, but they were soldiers.)

Ahijon also said three victims were in critical condition due to the alleged food poisoning but are now in stable conditions.

Hospitals have also started discharging those who were admitted, he added.

In a statement, Army spokesperson Colonel Xerxes Trinidad said the 8th Field Artillery Battalion (8FAB) of the Army Artillery Regiment served ‘ginataan’ to the attendees of a camp for boy and girl scouts at Camp Bud Datu in Indanan, Sulu on February 25.

"Seventy-eight students and 22 adults, including Pvt. Adawe of 8FAB and Girls Scout Executive Helen Hajan, experienced nausea, stomach ache, and fainting after consuming the prepared food," he said.

Trinidad said 88 patients have been discharged from hospitals and returned to their families. However, 12 students are still confined at the Sanitarium Hospital but they are expected to be discharged soon.

Trinidad, meanwhile, also said that the food samples were already sent to the Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO) on February 25 for immediate examination.

"The Philippine Army will continue its effort to determine the possible cause of the incident while ensuring to cater to the needs of the patients affected." —Giselle Ombay, Joviland Rita/ VAL, GMA Integrated News