Forty-one school children of the Totolan Elementary School in Dauis town were brought to the Gov. Celestino Gallares Memorial Hospital the other day after partaking the toxic juice of jatropha locally known as “tuba-tuba”. After hospitalization, however, the 41 supposed victims were pronounced out of danger. According to Dr. Maribeth Jiminez, wife of Dauis Mayor Jimmy Jiminez, who personally looked after the well-being of the school children, the mass poisoning was contained after necessary treatment was administered to the victims. As of yesterday, 25 of the school children admitted for emergency treatment, were already released from confinement.

According to the lady physician, the condition of the remaining victims were closely monitored by attending doctors because they are still suffering from constant vomiting. The age bracket of the victims are 13 below. They are all Grades 1 to 4 pupils of the Totolan Elementary School. According to Mayor Jiminez, the pupils must have eaten the fruits of tuba-tuba which was pruned of its thick branches. The thick jatropha branches were teeming with fruits. A bunch of jatropha fruits was brought by a pupil to the school and upon seeing it to have looked like a peanut when peeled, the curious among them tasted the same and thus triggered the mass poisoning. The dizziness and massive vomiting of the pupils who partook the poisonous fruit caught the attention of the class adviser who then informed the school principal of the incident. As a result of the aborted poisoning incident, Mayor Jiminez is contemplating to issue an executive order directing the cutting of all tuba tuba trees found in Dauis schools. (With reports from Sen Guingguing)