Photo: Ted Aljibe/AFP. " width="100%" />
It may have been the egg.
Philippine Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Francisco Duque III said yesterday that contaminated food was probably behind the poisoning of more than 200 Imelda Marcos supporters during the former first lady’s 90th birthday bash in Pasig City yesterday.
“It could have come from the egg,” Duque told reporters in a press briefing yesterday, according to ABS-CBN News. He added that there have been reports that the egg tasted foul and could have been spoiled. However, he also said that the contamination could have come from the rice or adobo as well.
The meal, made up of chicken adobo, rice, and boiled egg, was packed and served to attendees of Imelda’s birthday party at the Ynares Sports Complex where reportedly more than 200 people fell sick. They suffered from stomachaches, vomiting, and diarrhea and were brought to at least nine hospitals in Metro Manila.
Meanwhile, Imelda, who was present at the event, is totally fine, her camp told radio station DWIZ.
The DOH still needs to determine what caused the food poisoning but Duque said that the symptoms point to a toxin from the bacteria staphylococcus aureus.
Dr. Primo Valenzuela from the Rizal Medical Center told ABS-CBN News that this could have been brought by unsanitary food preparation. It was possible that those who prepared the food did not clean their hands or the food was not stored in an area with the correct temperature.
The doctor is attending to some of the victims and told GMA News that some of his patients experienced symptoms just two to three hours after eating the food.
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Imelda’s son former Senator Bonbong Marcos apologized for the incident in a statement yesterday and said that they are attending to the food poisoning victims.
Official Statement of Bongbong Marcos on possible food poisoning cases during the 90th Birthday Celebration of First Lady Imelda Marcos at the Ynares Sports Center pic.twitter.com/esjVbBNXts
— Bongbong Marcos (@bongbongmarcos) July 3, 2019
Many of those who attended the event were staunch supporters of the Marcos family, even wearing red “Marcos loyalist” shirts.
Despite the corruption and human rights violations during the late Ferdinand Marcos’ dictatorship, many still support his family politically including his son Bongbong, daughter, the new Senator Imee Marcos, and Imelda who stepped down as Ilocos Norte congresswoman just last month.
Imelda herself remains popular despite being convicted of graft in November and is now out on bail.
