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Monday, July 11, 2005
2 agencies asked to test water in schools
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- A provincial official is calling on the Department of Health and the Bureau of Food and Drugs to test the water supply in various schools in Pampanga.
Pampanga Provincial Board Member Johnny Quiambao (third district), chairman of the PB committee on health, said several parents have complained to him over the weekend that their children have become infected with "amoeba", which can be contracted from dirty food and water.
A number of students from public and private schools have reportedly fallen ill and been brought to hospitals and clinics after drinking water from school faucets and eating "fish-balls" sold on the streets by ambulant vendors.
He said he will call the attention of other PB members to these developments during the regular session on Monday.
The PB, he added, can pass a resolution asking the health department and the food and drugs bureau to look into the matter.
Quiambao added that the two agencies should not only test tap water but also bottled water, whether distilled or purified, to ensure that those being sold in the province are safe and free from bacteria.
He also appealed to vendors selling food products in schools like sago, buko juice, fish ball, one-day-old chicks, and the likes to practice cleanliness in preparing their foodstuff because it is the students who will eat them.
Quiambao said he would coordinate with PB Member Aurelio Gonzales Jr., who is the chairman of the PB committee on education, in solving the problem.
Gonzales said he supports the move of Quiambao, adding that he is also looking out for the welfare of the students in particular and the public in general.
Gonzales added he will discuss the matter with other members of the provincial school board during their next scheduled meeting.
The San Fernando Water District has assured their consumers that water coming from their pumps is treated and safe for drinking. (Sun.Star Pampanga/Sunnex)
(July 11, 2005 issue)
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