Food poisoning downs over 100 Ateneo de Davao students, officials

The students' publication 'Atenews' posted this photo of the apparently spoiled chicken adobo that is being eyed as the culprit in the poisoning of over 100 students, as well as the school president. JEFREY TUPAS

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InterAksyon.com
The online news portal of TV5

DAVAO CITY, Philippines - More than a hundred students of the Ateneo de Davao University (ADDU) were rushed to the hospital two hours after taking spoiled lunch on Sunday.

The students were attending the student leaders gathering—called Sui Generis—with ADDU President Fr. Joel Tabora.

Mureene Ann Villamor, chair of the student council Samahan, said the participants started to get sick around 3 p.m., a couple of hours after taking a pack of chicken adobo, pancit (noodles) and buco salad.

Villamor, who herself was rushed to the hospital after feeling nauseated and vomiting several times, said the chicken adobo “smelled terrible.”

“It did not smell good,” Villamor told Interaksyon.com in a phone interview. She was still confined at the hospital as of this writing.

“At around 3 p.m., may mga lumabas na sa session hall. Kasi nagsuka suka na. They were not feeling well already. I felt sick as I was facilitating at the open forum. I went to the toilet and found out that many students were indeed sick. They called 911 na,” Villamor said.

Father Tabora was reportedly sick himself and was brought to the hospital, Villamor said.

More than 50 students were brought to the Davao Doctors Hospital while almost the same number were also rushed to San Pedro Hospital.

Atenews, the official students publication of ADDU, posted a photo of the reported spoiled chicken adobo served to the students.  Student Ricky Zonio said he was among those who felt ill after taking lunch.

“It was really shocking. Until now, throat still hurts because of vomiting. I nearly passed out,” Zonio said in the vernacular.

Edward Lactaoen, associate editor of Atenews, said he was able to talk to one of the doctors who told him that the “symptoms indeed point to food poisoning.” He, too, said a school official has told him that “they're awaiting lab tests on the food served during the event to identify what specifically it was that caused it.”

“Some of our staffers are at the hospitals,” he said.

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