By Aaron Recuenco and Analou de Vera

At least eight people died while 100 others were hospitalized, three of them in critical condition, after drinking lambanog (coconut wine) in two separate occasions in Laguna and Quezon, police said on Monday evening.

The biggest number of fatalities was reported in a birthday celebration in Rizal town of Laguna with seven dead and more or less 100 others hospitalized, according to Police Col. Eleazar Matta, director of the Laguna Provincial Police Office.

He identified the fatalities as Maricris Dimayuga, 24; Cenon Piedra, 60; Ricky Vitangcol; Analyn Lanuza, 34; Marlon Veridiano; and, Elmer Dorado.

The seventh fatality which was reported by Rizal Municipal Health Office was Luis Urriquia who reportedly died at the Philippine General Hospital (PGH).

Matta said 34-year old Jason Navarroza is in critical condition and is confined at the San Pablo District Hospital.

Lt. Col. Chitadel Gaoiran, spokesperson of the CALABARZON (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon) regional police, said the drinking session occurred on Friday night at the house of one of the fatalities, Analyn Lanuza, in Barangay Pook in Rizal town.

“There was a celebration at the house of the victim because it was the first birthday of her daughter,” Gaoiran told the Manila Bulletin in a phone interview.

At midnight on Saturday, Lanuza was taken to the hospital along with Maricris Dimayuga and a certain Jethro Balana due to severe abdominal pains.

Both Lanuza and Dimayuga later died in the hospital, according to Gaoiran.

Matta said five more fatalities were confirmed as the police took over the investigation to determine the cause of the deaths.

“There were leftover coconut wine and these were taken to the Crime Laboratory for examination,” said Matta.

Based on the initial investigation, the coconut wine was bought at the store owned by Emma Ocaya and Orlando Mapa.

In Candelaria, Quezon, 54-year old farmer Ernesto Aguilar died after consuming “lambanog” in a drinking session with six of his friends and neighbors, according to Gaoiran.

Gaoiran said that the drinking session occurred on Thursday night in Sitio centro in Barangay Catalina. On Saturday, Aguilar and some of his drinking buddies had to be taken to the hospital due to abdominal pains.

“Aguilar actually went unconscious. He died due to acute respiratory syndrome,” said Gaoiran, quoting a report from the Quezon Provincial Police Office.

Two more victims, 54-year old tricycle driver Fernando Balmes Aguilar and 25-year old tricycle driver Christian Duarte Aguilar, are currently comatose.

The four other victims were already discharged from the hospitals.

According to the report, the victims bought the “lambanog” from a store owned by Nicanor delos Reyes.

The coconut wine was taken to the Food and Drug Administration for laboratory examination.

Under observation

Sixty-eight patients are currently under observation at the PGH after they showed symptoms of food poisoning reportedly caused by a Filipino alcoholic drink called “lambanog.”

As of 11 p.m. of Sunday, December 22, a total of 164 patients were brought to the PGH, 96 of them have been transferred to other hospitals, said Dr. Jonas Del Rosario, PGH coordinator for public affairs.

“Right now ang pasyente po na nasa PGH ay 68 patients; eight [are] critically-ill; 31 [patients] who are still being observed, urgent; tapos meron pong 29 na non-urgent or asymptomatic….Yun pong 96 na patients po ay nailipat na po natin sa either sa East Avenue Medical Center or Rizal Medical Center,” said Del Rosario.

“Kaya nilipat namin yung iba sa ospital ng Rizal Medical Center saka East Avenue kasi hindi namin kayang lahat i-monitor itong mga pasyente,” he added.

“Sa ngayon po sa PGH as of now, wala pa po tayong fatality or mortality,” noted Del Rosario.

“Nung dumating sila dito, hindi naman yung biglang dumating lang. May nakuha na kaming abiso sa probinsya na itong mga taong ito ay galing sa isang Purok sa Laguna. Apparently, may inuman doon, may pinagkuhanan sila ng lambanog at itong mga taong ito ay unti-unting nakaramdam ng hindi maganda,” said Del Rosario.

Del Rosario said that they already have a sample of the “lambanog” that the patients drank.

“Meron na at iyon ay iimbestigahan. Meron kami dito sa PGH na poison control center, may mga eksperto kami sa ganyan at yung sample ng lambanog ay i-analyze para malaman natin yung actual content ng lambanog na iyon, especially yung alcohol content,” he said.

Ban on selling of ‘lambanog’

Police commanders in CALABARZON were ordered on Monday to visit and compel all store owners in the region to stop selling “lambanog” (wine made from coconut) following the death of eight people and hospitalization of more than 100 others possibly due to poisoning in Rizal town of Laguna and Candelaria in Quezon.

Brig. Gen. Vicente Danao, director of the CALABARZON regional police, said he also instructed all chiefs of police in the region to coordinate with local government units for the identification and visit of all “lambanog” manufacturers in the region in order to ensure the safety of the coconut wine production.

“This is to ensure public safety because of what happened in Laguna and Quezon. We do not want more people to buy and suffer the same fate,” Danao told the Manila Bulletin in an interview on Monday.

Danao said the report of “lambanog” poisoning is alarming, noting that it is one of the favorite wine in remote areas of Laguna and Quezon provinces.

“We want to ensure that all the lambanog products are safe for consumption. This is the reason why we are coordinating with the FDA (Food and Drug Administration),” the official said.

Once a clearance from FDA is issued, it is the only time that store owners would be allowed to sell.

Danao said that the reported poisoning may have something to do with the storage of “lambanog,” noting that the coconut wine possibly turned into alcohol after months of storage.

The FDA earlier warned against drinking “lambanog” especially those which are not registered with the agency.

In the two recent cases in Rizal town in Laguna and Candelaria town in Quezon, the “lambanog” consumed by the victims had no brand name or label. (With reports from Richa Noriega)