At least four barangay officials were hospitalized after they experienced alleged food poisoning while attending a conference in Jaro, Iloilo City on June 23, 2026.
Almost 20 of them experienced itchiness, having rashes, vomiting, or difficulty breathing.
The four people hospitalized are a councilman, two treasurers, and a secretary.
They were discharged after receiving treatment.
The councilman, Jhong-Jhong Labto of Barangay Gustilo in La Paz, said he vomited three times and had difficulty breathing on the way to the hospital.
He said the doctor told them what they experienced was food poisoning.
“Tatlong beses akong nagsuka. Habang bumibiyahe kami papunta sa hospital, nanikip ang aking dibdib. Kinabitan ako ng dextrose at ng oxygen. Sabi ni Doc, based sa aming monitoring at observation, yan ang lumalabas, food poisoning,” Labto said.
But the Iloilo City Health Office (CHO) said it could not be ascertained just yet, as of this writing, that what happened was, indeed, food poisoning.
The CHO sent sanitary inspectors to the hotel to investigate the incident and recommended that a certain fish served at the conference be tested.
“I-check ang health and sanitation of the areas, as well as the food handlers. We can recommend sa management na kung maaari sana, in dealing with their clients na i-cater nila na they should ask for food restrictions or food allergy ng kanilang participants,” said CHO Head, Dr. Mary Ann Poli-Diaz.
Labto said they had the incident entered into the police blotter because the hotel reportedly did not coordinate with them when the incident broke out.
“Nag-blotter tayo sa police station na sakop ang lugar. Yung sa amin lang naman sana, kahit sinamahan lang kami ng management sa hospital,” he said.
He said it was the Liga ng mga Barangay that shouldered their hospital expenses.
GMA Regional TV One Western Visayas reached out to the hotel but calls to the contact number on its Facebook page were unanswered. The news team was also not allowed entry into the subdivision where the hotel is located.
