2 arrested for food poisoning incident in Negros town

MANILA, Philippines — Police in Murcia town in Negros Occidental arrested a man and a woman in connection with a food poisoning incident that downed some 50 pupils in a school there, a radio report said Saturday. Visayas-based Bombo Radyo reported that Mylene Hingco and Joel Abaro were detained for the incident that downed 50 pupils at Alfredo Montelibano Elementary School. Initial investigation showed Hingco sold the "Lemon Square" pastries to Abaro in exchange for a ganta of rice. Abaro's children, both pupils at the elementary school, then sold the food items to their classmates. Hingco admitted knowing the food items were already expired as early as July 2008. She said some of the pastries werer already already moldy. Hingco said she got her supply of pastries from a sibling who works at a distributor of "Lemon Square" in Bacolod City. The expired pastries were to be used as hog feed, she said. But she insisted she did not know Abaro would let his children sell the pastries. Meanwhile, six Grade 4 pupils remained at the Western Visayas Regional Hospital Saturday morning after complaining of vomiting. Other pupils remained at the Murcia Municipal Health Clinic. For his part, Murcia Mayor Esteban Coscuella said he would summon the distributor of the food items to inquire why they allowed the sale of the expired items instead of destroying them. - GMANews.TV