COTABATO CITY, Philippines — Up to 147 people including children were hospitalized after they reportedly ate rice noodles or pancit served at a wedding reception in Talakag, Bukidnon on Saturday.
The patients complained of nausea and abdominal spasms two hours after eating pancit served at the wedding reception in Barangay Tagbak.
Pancit is a generic term for noodles often cooked with sauteed chicken, pork, shrimps and squid as well as vegetables such as cabbage and carrots.
The local governments of the adjoining Talakag and Lantapan towns confirmed the incident yesterday morning.
Lantapan Mayor Ernie Devibar said some of the wedding guests were from an ethnic community in Barangay Kibangay.
Municipal health workers collected specimens of the food and submitted these for examination at the Bukidnon health office.