Testing will take seven to 10 days before authorities can determine fully the specific type of toxin that caused a massive health crisis in the Municipality of Sibalom, according to a post of the Province of Antique.

The inhalation of foul fumes has affected approximately 268 students from two schools in Barangay Pis-anan, Sibalom, according to the Provincial Department of Health Office (PDOHO) of Antique.

In a press conference on Thursday, July 3, 2025, Dr. Rommel Garganera, PDOHO head, confirmed that “swab samples were collected the previous day from areas around Pis-anan National High School, where students began falling ill one after another after inhaling a rotten, guava-like stench.”

“The odor, believed to be from a toxic substance, triggered a surge of emergency hospital admissions on Wednesday morning [July 2, 2025], with patients experiencing symptoms such as fainting, difficulty in breathing, chest pain, headaches, nausea, vomiting, and chills. The stench was most concentrated around the high school grounds, but also spread to other parts of the barangay,” the post read. 

Further, it was learned that the collected samples were sent to a laboratory at Ateneo de Manila University for analysis to “determine the exact nature of the toxic substance responsible for the symptoms.”

Garganera assured the public that his office will make efforts to fasttrack the release of the results.

In-person classes have remained suspended for both elementary and secondary schools in Barangay Pis-anan while the investigation is ongoing and students are still recovering, the post further stated.

Furthermore, Department of Education – Schools Division Office Antique Information Officer Eric Cortejo said during the same press conference that they are “awaiting guidance from the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) and local chief executives before allowing students to return to school.”

PDRRMO Officer Broderick Train shared that the Department of Health has recommended “hosing down school buildings and facilities to wash away possible traces of the alleged toxic substance, with assistance from the Bureau of Fire Protection.”

(Info courtesy: Province of Antique)