DAGUPAN CITY – More than 200 Sangguniang Kabataan officials from San Carlos City, Pangasinan who suffered from suspected food poisoning during a seminar in a hotel at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone returned home on Thursday, August 8.
The Olongapo and San Carlos city governments and the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority have launched an investigation to determine the cause of the incident.
San Carlos City Mayor Julier Resuello has requested the Olongapo city government and relevant agencies to temporarily close the hotel’s kitchen to facilitate a thorough investigation and prevent a recurrence of the incident.
Samples of all food served at the hotel, water sources, and other potential causes have been collected and sent to a laboratory for microbe identification. Testing will take two to three days and results will reveal the source and cause of the contamination.
The San Carlos City legal department is exploring possible legal actions pending the outcome of the investigation.
Resuello, who was among the local officials who suffered from food poisoning, vowed to hold those responsible for the incident accountable.
One-hundred affected sixty-four individuals were taken to the hospital and only five required overnight stay, with four of them discharged the following day.
Some did not require hospital admission as doctors were on standby at the hotel to provide initial treatment.
Remaining SK officials who were unable to join the initial group that returned home Thursday are scheduled to travel Friday.
Resuello announced the temporary cancellation of the second batch of SK officials scheduled to visit Subic Bay on Thursday. He said the decision was made to prioritize everyone's safety and avoid risking their health.
He said that the well-being of affected SK officials and staff has been closely monitored since the beginning and will continue until they fully recover.
He thanked the Olongapo city government, the SBMA, and volunteer groups for their assistance.