31 hospitalized due to Cavite plant wastes

SAN PEDRO, Laguna, Philippines—At least 31 residents of the village of Maguyam, in Silang, Cavite, were rushed to a hospital early Thursday after vomiting and showing signs of suffocation, the town’s police chief said.

“The report that came to us was that the people began vomiting before dawn this morning. They said they inhaled a very foul odor,” Superintendent Danilo Buentipo, Silang police chief, said in a phone interview, on Thursday.

The police earlier reported that 200 persons were rushed to the hospital but later clarified that only 31 “were really affected” and that the others could have just been family members who accompanied the patients to the hospital.

The victims were brought to a public hospital in Carmona town, adjacent to Silang.

Buentipo said the villagers blamed the Cleanway Technology Corp., a waste treatment firm in Silang, for the stench that caused stomach upset.

“They have long been complaining about that company that allegedly emits toxic wastes,” he added.

The Philippine Daily Inquirer called up Cleanway for its comments but the one who answered the phone said the official authorized to speak for the company was out and that other company officials were in a meeting.

Buentipo said the municipal government of Silang had already called for an investigation on the matter.

Meanwhile, he said the residents were immediately discharged from the hospital after going through checkup and receiving first aid. –Maricar Cinco, Inquirer Southern Luzon