3 days ago
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BACOLOD CITY — The Negros Occidental office of the Department of Education (DepEd) has ordered the investigation of a suspected case of food poisoning in a public elementary school in Talisay City, Wednesday morning.
Ian Arnold Arnaiz, spokesman of the DepEd division, said that 21 learners from the Bubog Elementary School in Talisay City felt discomfort in the stomach after eating chocolates allegedly sold by a classmate.
Dr. Joey Villarosa, division medical officer, said that the students may have eaten expired chocolate bars.
Villarosa said 15 Grade 5 students, four Grade 4 students and two Grade 3 students were brought by a barangay vehicle to the Talisay City Health Office for treatment.
As of 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, all the students have been released from the health facility with prescriptions.
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Villarosa speculated that expired products may have been mixed with unexpired ones, as some students who consumed the chocolate showed no symptoms.
Parents were advised to monitor their children and report any additional symptoms to health authorities.
Arnaiz said the chocolates and chips allegedly came from a food warehouse in Manila where a family member of a student is employed.
Samples of the food items eaten by the students were collected for examination. One of the chocolate bars has an expiration date of Sept. 17, 2024, he said.
He added that expired products are no longer safe for consumption.
Classes at the school were suspended temporarily on March 26, 2025 because of the incident.
Villarosa said the DepEd has a policy on food allowed inside school campuses.
Under the policy, carbonated drinks and with high sugar content are not allowed. They only allow food items with Sangkap Pinoy seal, he added.
He reminded parents to closely monitor what food their children bring to school to avoid similar incidents.
