THE Department of Education yesterday said it has opened an investigation into the alleged food poisoning incident at Pili National High School in Ajuy, Iloilo that resulted in the death of a male student and the hospitalization of 15 more students and four education personnel.
The alleged food poisoning incident took place last November 4.
DepEd spokesperson Michael Tan Poa said the regional office for Western Visayas is leading the investigation.
He said that based on the incident report from the school division of Iloilo, the students, together with their adviser, ate food brought by the students for lunch.
Some students later suffered stomach ache while others vomited. They were brought to the Barotac Viejo District Hospital where they were hydrated and given antibiotics.
The report said the lone fatality, who was not identified, was first brought to the Sara District Hospital and was advised to be admitted. But the student refused and went home.
A few hours later, the student’s condition worsened and he was rushed to the Barotac Viejo District Hospital where he was declared dead on arrival.
“The school, together with the Schools Division of Iloilo, is currently in coordination with the Rural Health Unit of Ajuy to address the needs of the affected learners and personnel and to conduct further investigation on the case,” Poa said, citing the statement of the DepEd Western Visayas regional office.
“The DepEd Regional Office VI also tasked the Legal Unit to conduct further investigation on the case,” he added.
The local government of Ajuy shouldered the hospital bill of the victims and extended financial assistance to the family of the victim with the help of the Pili school and other schools nearby.
Last month, more than 90 students and teachers at the San Francisco Elementary School in Sablayan, Oriental Mindoro also suffered food poisoning.
