The Local Government of Guiguinto, Bulacan has shouldered the hospital bills of the 16 persons who were treated in two hospitals here after allegedly eating a “spoiled Yema cake” given by the municipality to a birthday celebrant on Friday night.
Mayor Ambrosio “Boy” Cruz Jr. immediately acted upon receiving report of said food poisoning incident. He instructed the Municipal Social Welfare personnel to assist the relatives of the victims as the municipal government also shouldered the hospital bills of the victims.
The birthday celebrant who was celebrating her 49th birthday was identified as Loreta Vales from Barangay Santa Cruz and was brought to the Ospital ng Guiguinto on Friday evening together with her two grandchildren Alden and Vershelle Anne Vales aged six and three years old respectively.
The elder Vales was released from the hospital on the same night while the two children are still confined at the said hospital as of yesterday morning.
Other victims were brought to the Polymedic Hospital also in Guiguinto.
Five of the victims in the said hospital were identified by their relatives as Renz Tolentino, Jan Carlo Evangelista and Pia Evangelista.
Alfonso Tolentino, father of Renz, said the victims were rushed to the said hospital after experiencing abdominal pain after almost an hour after eating the cake given by the local government to the birthday celebrant that is customary of the LGU to treat birthday celebrants in the community.
The elder Tolentino said Mayor Cruz is helping them shoulder their medical bills.
“Temporarily I ordered to stop the distribution of the birthday cake gifts, it’s an isolated case because we are doing this sharing for many years and it just happened now,” the mayor said.
Cruz said the caused of the spoiled Yema cake was due of the long hour delivery of the item from the supplier Lingkod Barangay and passed it in different hands for many hours before it was received by the recipient celebrant.
“Nakita natin sa insidenteng ito na pangunahing sanhi ng pagka-sira ng cake ay dahil sa palipat-lipat na delivery, kung saan saan dumaan at dahil sa sobrang init at tagal ay di naiwasan mapanis,” Cruz said.
The Mayor added that instead of food such as Yema cake the local government will just send them their customary birthday gifts thru in-kind items like towels.