Wednesday, January 17, 2007 No charges vs. caterer yet
ALTHOUGH the food served to the Asean summit gala night performers is the likely cause of their gastroenteritis, local health officials have not recommended the filing of any complaint against the caterer.
Department of Health (DOH) Regional Director Susana Madarieta said yesterday they cannot recommend anything yet since they still have not completed their investigation.
Majestic Catering Services owner Winglip Chang has already agreed to foot the hospital bills of all 95 performers who were diagnosed to have suffered from gastroenteritis last Sunday.
“The report that we recommended the filing of a complaint against Majestic is not true. It’s up to the City Health Department to make the recommendation because our concern is just to see to it that the patients are treated, which we already did,” Madarieta told Sun.Star Cebu.
At City Hall, Mayor Tomas Osmeña said the City Health Department has to take a closer look at the inspection procedures of catering service companies and restaurants.
Even if Majestic is found to be responsible for the incident, the mayor said he will not recommend the filing of a complaint against the owners.
Damages
The victims, and not the City Government, should be the ones to file for damages, he said.
He also did not give a categorical statement when asked if Majestic will be asked to cease operating pending the release of the results of the investigation.
“They have to undergo reassessment... I’m trying to find out what regulations we can impose on these establishments... but if I’m going to impose very strict conditions, I’m going to have to do it across the board. But I also don’t want to kill the industry,” he told reporters yesterday.
Dancers, musicians
Like DOH officials, Osmeña suspects that poor food preparation and handling caused 95 musicians, dancers and fashion models to fall ill while rehearsing for their performance for the gala night over the weekend.
“Based on the complaints of the patients, naa gyud ang cause sa food but we can’t pinpoint where exactly it got contaminated because there are many factors involved, daghang naagian ang pagkaon, from food preparation, handling, distribution and the time element also,” Madarieta said.
City Health Department head Fe Cabugao refused to reveal the initial results of the investigation, but confirmed that Majestic Catering Services has yet to renew their sanitary permits and the health permits of its food attendants.
Osmeña had said in his news conference that the catering company has no sanitary permit. Cabugao said it has one but it is due for renewal.
The mayor said Majestic’s facilities will have to be reassessed by city health inspectors and checked if they meet the health standards set by the office. (LCR)
