On the March 9 Mabini tragedy
NGOs: Cassava IS NOT the Culprit

Since time immemorial, balanghoy or cassava has always been a dependable food for the Boholanos especially in hard times. Now, after the tragedy that happened in Mabini on that dreadful morning of March 9, balanghoy has been maligned publicly- that its cyanide content caused the death of 30 students and hospitalization of more than 100 others of San Jose Elementary School in Mabini, Bohol.

The different organizations that conducted an investigative mission on March 10, however, think otherwise. Instead, the investigative mission spearheaded by Hugpong sa Mag-uumang Bol-anon (HUMABOL), Farmer’s Development Center (FARDEC), Environmental Legal Assistance Center (ELAC), Bohol Nature Conservation Society (BONACONSO), KINABUHI (Central Visayas People’s Network for Life and Environment) and the Visayas Primary Health Care Services Inc. (VPHCSI) has found the possibility of organophosphate or carbamates poisoning based on data gathered.

Organophosphate and carbamates are groups of pesticides of nerve-gas type whose mode of action is through the nervous system and the brain.

The team came up with this after finding out that the students who ate maruya, a food made of cassava sold during the break time of the school’s morning session immediately manifested varied symptoms such as dizziness, abdominal pains, vomiting, salivation, headaches, convulsion, loss of consciousness, involuntary urination and diarrhea.

According to the different attending physicians in hospitals where the victims were admitted, the clinical manifestations of some patients do not correlate with cyanide poisoning alone. Signs of Organophosphate or carbamates poisoning were present such as the salivation, seizure and involuntary urination and bowel movement.

Moreover, Dr. Oliver Gimenez of VPHCS has seen a patient in Governor Celestino Gallares Memorial Hospital who exhibited a “pinpoint” eye pupil. “ That is definitely not a symptom of cyanide poisoning but that of organophospahate,” Dr. Gimenez explained.

Furthermore, not a page in history will show of such a fatal phenomenon caused by cassava poisoning. In fact, not a victim of cassava poisoning has died instantly like that of the children in Mabini.

Residents ate the same balanghoy, but are not affected.

According to some residents interviewed, they ate the same balanghoy identified as lakan but did not feel anything wrong. Instead, they insisted that it must be the container of the oil used for cooking the maruya that contaminated the food.

Results of the pesticide analysis on oil, the blood samples and vomit of the patients are yet to be seen.

Zenaida Darunday of BONACONSO explained that, “the most definite way of identifying the organophosphate or carbamates poisoning is through knowing that there is a lowering of cholinesterase level in the blood of the patients.” Cholinesterase is an enzyme essential to the function of the brain. If it reduces, the nervous system and the brain will surely be affected.

Lost Children, lost future

The tragic death of the 30 children in Mabini will surely be written down in history. We should all take the lessons it has given us.

It should be a red-signal for all of us. Because of the carelessness and the existence of substances that endanger everybody including the ecosystem, we have lost a part of our future. We should not allow this to happen again. The possibility of organophosphate or carbamates poisoning in the patients means that there is a use of such lethal pesticides in the barrio.

Furthermore, William Boybanting, Chairman of HUMABOL calls on the provincial government of Bohol to give justice to the death of the children. He said that, “Kinahanglang matagaan og hustisya ang kamatayon sa mga kabataan pinaagi sa pagpatin-aw nga dili ang balanghoy ang hinungdan sa maong trahedya ug ang panaghiusa sa pagbatok niining mga pestisidyo nga kuyanap karon sa lokalidad” (The death of the children must be given justice by clearing up that cassava is not the cause of the tragedy and by uniting against the use of commercial pesticides that are now rampant in the locality).

As an alternative, the team calls on the government to come up with an agricultural development framework that is sustainable. This means agricultural framework that does not use commercial chemicals and is safer for the public’s health- organic farming that is.  

Clearly, balanghoy is not the culprit in the March 10 tragedy. In fact, as these times are getting harder, balanghoy remains to be a dependable food to help us get through each day.

Reference:

Dr. Oliver Gimenez
VPHCS
Contact nos.09205496031 / 0385015538

March 11, 2005 

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