By Glazyl Masculino
BACOLOD CITY - Food poisoning was reported in three barangays in Sagay City, Negros Occidental, victimizing a total of 61 persons on Friday.
Some of the 61 persons hospitalized after eating “lugaw” mixed with an alleged intoxicating or poisonous yam in Sagay City, Negros Occidental Friday. (Photo courtesy of City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO)
According to Sagay City Police Chief Maj. Antonio Benitez Jr., a person from Barangay Rizal cooked porridge, or “lugaw”, and had it delivered to some of her relatives in the neighboring barangays of Gen. Luna, and Poblacion 2.
But the “lugaw” was reportedly mixed with a poisonous or intoxicating root crop locally known as Badyang, which caused dizziness and stomach ache on the victims, Benitez said.
He said that the victims may have thought that the root crop was a purple yam.
The victims were all rescued by personnel of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) and were taken to different hospitals in the city. Some of them were children, and the elderly.
Benitez said that 15 of them were discharged the same day, while 46 others were discharged the following day, Saturday.
He said that the person who cooked the food was also hospitalized. They were still determining if charges will be filed against the person, whom he refused to name as of this writing.