MATI CITY, Davao Oriental -- The City Disaster Coordinating Council denied rumors that 30 fishermen died of food poison while on their way to General Santos City from Indonesia.
"There are no cadavers of fishermen docked in Mati," said the latest report from the CDCC.
Rumors have it that a fishing boat loaded with 30 bodies of fishermen who died in the sea after eating an unknown species of a bird somewhere in Indonesia docked in Mati last week to buy some ice to preserve the bodies of the fishermen.
The boat was allegedly identified as "Anna Marie."
But City health Officer Dr. Benhur Catbagan, in a meeting with the CDCC, said there is no reason to panic as there is no such incident.
He assured the safety of the public to cast away fears of residents and to stop questions regarding the report.
The CDCC earlier formed a monitoring team to check on all the angles of the report to ascertain its validity.
The team is composed of the police, City Health Office, Philippine Coast Guard, and Liga ng mga Barangay Association.
Based on the result of the validation done by the monitoring team, there was no confirmation on the reported docking of the boat carrying cadavers in Mati.
A check with the General Santos City Coast Guard also proved negative. (BOT)