Investigation is ongoing on an undetermined volume of expired packets of powdered milk and chocolate drinks recovered by residents at the coastal portion of Barangay Bantayan in Dumaguete City on Wednesday afternoon.

Residents said they saw what looked like an oil slick of items being carried southward about 50 to 100 meters from the shore of Silliman Beach around 3 p.m. Wednesday.

Some of the packets had washed ashore and as soon as residents discovered they were powdered milk and chocolate drinks, some of them, especially children, gobbled them down.

The children later complained of stomach cramps, although the adults said they did not experience any unusual illness. A few male adults were also seen partaking of some powdered milk as “pulutan” while drinking ”tuba” and rhum but they seemed not to be bothered by the expired powdered beverages.

Michael Alano, businessman and fishing enthusiast who owns a motorized boat moored at Silliman Beach, had immediately advised the residents against further consuming the stale food packs after seeing the expiry dates on them.

Some of the packets had an expiry date of September 1995. They carried local brands and were manufactured in the Philippines.

Councilor Albert Aquino, the village chief of Bantayan and president of the city’s Association of Barangay Captains (ABC), immediately responded late Wednesday evening to investigate the incident to prevent people from getting ill.

Aquino, however, said by the time he got there, the households were already quiet and residents were already asleep.

He assured on Thursday morning that he will get samples of the drifted food packets for possible testing by the Bureau of Food and Drugs.

Also, he will confer with the City Health Office regarding the incident as he also promised to inform barangay captains of coastal areas to warn their constituents against partaking of the expired items which could be drifting down south to avoid contamination.

As of this writing, it was not immediately known where these items originated and who could be responsible for this but Aquino assured he will investigate the incident further.*JFP

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