One dies, 25 more hospitalized in Bolinao
POISONED BY TAHONG
BOLINAO — The red tide has claimed its first fatality this year in this town after partaking of tahong (mussel) while 25 others were rushed to a hospital for food poisoning.
The report was enough for the town mayor to immediately issue an order banning the harvest, sale and consumption of all types of shellfish in its area of jurisdiction.
Mayor Noli Celeste sent copies of his order to all the barangay captains here that ordered the ban to continue until laboratory results of samples would show these are red tide- free.
Checkpoints have also been set up to avoid transport to other places of the shellfishes that may have been harvested in the town, he added.
Manilyn Conde, 20, resident of Barangay Ilog Malino in this town died Wednesday night.
Some of the patients of food poisoning from eating tahong had been discharged either from the Bolinao Community Hospital or at the Western Pangasinan District Hospital in Alaminos City where they were confined, Celeste said.
The victims are from Barangays Ilog Malino, Zaragoza, Lambes, Pilar, the mayor said.
The tahong was allegedly harvested from Barangay Luciente I here.
Celeste wondered why they were poisoned since there has been no advisory from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) banning the harvest, sale or consumption of shellfish here due to red tide.
A sample of the mussel taken by the victims and other fresh samples were sent for laboratory examination to Manila, Celeste said. No result was released yet, he added.
Meanwhile, BFAR Regional Director Nestor Domenden said in a separate interview that based on their weekly water and shellfish meat sample monitoring in western Pangasinan coastal areas, they sent to Manila the specimens on Tuesday and the result was released officially only yesterday (Friday,) as is the usual process.
“The result was really high red tide toxin (in Bolinao),” he said.
Domenden said the red tide ban that was lifted last week in Alaminos City is now back based on the result of their latest laboratory analyses.
The ban is also continuing in Bani town with the latest addition for the towns of Anda and Bolinao, he added.
Bolinao, Anda, Bani and Alaminos City are all in western Pangasinan.—Tita Roces
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