City of Naga: Doctor not certain if Sinulog participants’ illness due to food poisoning

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The eight young performers in the Sinulog sa Naga, who landed in the hospital on Sunday afternoon, January 26, 2020, due to suspected food poisoning have already been discharged.

In a statement issued by the city government of Naga, five of the performers who were brought to the city infirmary were released past 7 p.m. or three hours after they were pulled out in an ambulance after complaining of abdominal pains.

The three Sinulog performers who had to be brought to Minglanilla District Hospital, meanwhile, were released shortly after 9 p.m.

Read more: 6 youth performers for Sinulog sa Naga downed by suspected food poisoning

Despite the common complaint of abdominal pain from the victims, City Information Officer Ruth Alensonorin, said the attending physician in the city infirmary could not yet ascertain if the incident was borne out of food poisoning.

“The attending physician of the City Infirmary, Dr. John Amante,  said that it couldn’t be concluded at this time that food poisoning caused the pain because there was one participant [who] did not eat the food [that the other seven ate],” Alensonorin said in the statement.

The participants, who got ill, reportedly ate a pancit dish (noodles) and caldereta (beef stew).

Alensonorin said the City of Naga Mayor Valdemar Chiong has already committed that the city government will shoulder all the medical expenses of the patients.

The Sinulog sa Naga is an annual celebration held in the city every fourth Sunday of January initiated by the Archdiocesan Shrine of St. Francis of Assisi in Naga City, taking off from the world-famous Sinulog Festival held in Cebu City every third Sunday of January.

The celebration, participated in by contingents from different barangays in the city, culminates with a  parade around the city’s main streets and a Halad presentation at the city’s St. Francis Ocean Park. /dbs