Sandwiches down over 300 in Bataan

BALANGA, Bataan, Philippines — More than 300 persons, including children, were taken to the municipal health center in Morong after eating banh mi sandwiches they bought from a store in the town.

Municipal health officer Emma Bugay said the victims suffered diarrhea, vomiting and stomach pain.

Bugay said 160 of the victims were confined in the health center.

Banh mi is a sandwich popular in Vietnam. Its fillings include tomato, cucumber, onion, liver, pork and butter.

Local eatery owners learned to prepare banh mi from Vietnamese refugees at the former Philippine Refugee Processing Center in Morong.

 Bugay said stool examination of the patients showed the presence of bacteria. She said they would send samples of the sandwiches to a laboratory in Manila for examination.

Morong Mayor Cynthia Estanislao ordered the closure of Banh-Mian ni Raven, where the victims bought the sandwiches, pending the result of an investigation.

The owner of the store could not be reached for comment.

In Nueva Ecija, 31 farm workers fell ill after eating halo-halo served during snack in Barangay Estrella, Rizal yesterday. 

Chief Inspector Manuel Catacutan, Rizal police chief, said the workers complained of dizziness and vomiting. 

The victims were initially taken to a rural health unit then transferred to the Paulino J. Garcia Memorial Research and Medical Center. They were discharged after several hours.

The ingredients used to prepare halo-halo were submitted to the Nueva Ecija police crime laboratory office for examination.