This story
was taken from Bulatlat, the Philippines's alternative weekly
newsmagazine (www.bulatlat.com, www.bulatlat.net, www.bulatlat.org).
Vol. V, No. 6, March 13-19, 2005
The Bohol
Tragedy:
The tragic death of 27
schoolchildren in this province on March 9 could not have been caused by the
balanghoy (cassava) that they had eaten. The culprit could be a pesticide or
insecticide that contaminated the food while it was being cooked, doctors,
environmentalists and human rights groups in Bohol said.
By Terence Krishna
Lopez TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol –
The tragic death of 27 schoolchildren in this province on March 9 could not have
been caused by the balanghoy (cassava) that they had eaten. The culprit
could be a pesticide or insecticide that contaminated the food while it was
being cooked, doctors, environmentalists and human rights groups here said. One hundred other children
from the San Jose Elementary School in Mabini town and the vendor herself who
cooked the maruyang balanghoy (a delicacy made of cassava) have also been
hospitalized. Balanghoy
or cassava is a dependable crop for the Boholanos – natives of this island
province - especially now that there is less harvest of rice and corn.
Balanghoy always saves the Boholano family from hunger. On March 9, Anna Luyong,
68, of San Jose, Mabini town did not believe it when she was told that the
maruyang balanghoy she sold at P1 each for the school’s recess had caused
many schoolchildren to vomit and suffer stomach pains. Worse, she was told some
schoolchildren already died. To prove that there’s
nothing wrong with the maruya, she took a bite too. Now, Luyong remains
confined at the Gov. Celestino Gallares Memorial Hospital in this city along
with other children who survived. Many other victims were brought to three other
hospitals.
Investigation An investigative mission
conducted by various non-government organizations (NGOs) in Bohol, points to
another culprit. Based on its own inquiry including interviews with attending
physicians, the mission said it was likely the maruya was contaminated
with organophosphates or carbamates. The mission’s Dr. Oliver
Gimenez of Visayas Primary Health Care, a community-based health program said
“there were symptoms manifested by the victims that were not symptoms of cyanide
poisoning such as seizure and salivation.” There was one victim who showed a
“pinpoint” pupil – a decrease in the size of the pupil to 1mm. “These are symptoms of
organophosphates or carbamates poisoning,” Dr. Gimenez said. He concluded that
cyanide poisoning could not have been as fatal as what actually happened to the
children. Attending physicians also
revealed that the young patients were responding to Atropine Sulphate, an
antidote for organophosphates. Organophosphate (OP)
compounds or carbamates are a diverse group of chemicals used in both domestic
and industrial settings. Examples of OPs include insecticides (malathion,
parathion, diazinon, fenthion, dichlorvos, chlorpyrifos), nerve gases (soman,
sarin, tabun, VX), ophthalmic agents (echothiophate, isoflurophate), and
antihelmintics (trichlorfon). Herbicides (tribufos [DEF], merphos) are tricresyl
phosphate–containing industrial chemicals. Organophosphates can kill a
person through his nervous system and the brain. Nothing
wrong Some residents of San Jose
admitted that they ate the same variety of balanghoy (lakan) that
the children had eaten on the same day but felt nothing wrong. They suggested
that the oil used by Anna Luyong for cooking the maruya could have come
from a container of some pesticides. Toxicologists from the
University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) who flew to
San Jose took the container with the oil used by Luyong as well as samples of
the blood and vomit of the patients for tests. Results that may confirm food
contamination with organophosphates are now being awaited. Meanwhile, members of
Hugpong sa Mag-uumang Bol-anon (HUMABOL), a peasant organization in Bohol, also
expressed their disgust over unfounded reactions pointing to the native cassava
as the culprit. HUMABOL chair William
Boybanting said that, “Kinahanglang maipagawas ang kamatuoran ug makalaro nga
dili kini tungod sa balanghoy. Niining pamaagi, matagaan og hustisya ang
kamatayon sa mga bata” (The truth will come out and it will clear cassava as
not the real cause of the tragedy. This way, justice will be served to the
children.) Boybanting also said that
the contamination of organophosphates should be a wake-up call for the province.
“This must teach us a lesson, that we are only aware of the dangers of these
commercial pesticides when a damage is done. Let the death of the children be
not forgotten,” he added. Ira Pamat, executive
director of Kinabuhi (Bohol Network for Life and Environment), said the tragic
death of the children should not be taken as just another tragedy Filipinos are
used to. “It had to take 28 lives and more than 100 others in danger to make us
see the truth that there is a big danger caused by the use of these commercial
chemicals in agriculture,” she said. The Farmers Development
Center (FARDEC), on the other hand, called for a stop to the use of commercial
pesticides in farming. Carmelo Tabada, FARDEC
Bohol Coordinator, said “It’s high time we all unite in propagate organic
methods and finally act against these commercial pesticides. The natural way of
farming is always safer and even more sustainable.” Tabada added that
commercial pesticides promoted mostly by multi-national corporations do not at
all benefit the farmers and the ecosystem. As of now, FARDEC and
KINABUHI are working with HUMABOL in a fund drive for the victims of the tragedy
and for the recovery of the survivors. Loss of
angels, loss future The March 9 tragedy is the
first in the history of Bohol or even the country. On this note, Lisa Serenio,
secretary general of the human rights alliance Karapatan in Bohol, said “The
death of the little angels must move us into advancing children’s rights and the
protection of these, and ensuring their safety. They are our future; the death
of the 27 children means loss of a part of our future.” Bulatlat © 2004 Bulatlat
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Pesticide Contamination Did It, Doctors Say
Contributed to Bulatlat