Two more die from lambanog poisoning: police

December 26, 2019

Two persons died on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day after they drank lambanong, or coconut wine, a regional police spokesperson said Thursday.

This brought the number of persons who died from drinking lambanog to 16, added Lt. Col. Chitadel Gaoiran of the Calabarzon police office.

Gaoiran said Arvin Jun Gonzalez, 34, and Dominic Colegio, 29, died on Dec. 24 and Dec. 25, respectively, at the Quezon Medical Center in Lucena City. Their relatives brought them to the hospital on Christmas Eve.

Gaoiran said 12 persons died from lambanog poisoning in Rizal, Laguna and four passed away in Candelaria, Quezon. Around 300 persons fell ill after drinking lambanog in Rizal on Dec. 21, authorities said.   

Calabarzon police regional director, Brigadier General Vicente Danao, has ordered all police commanders to tell store owners in the region not to sell lambanog until it is cleared by the Food and Drug Administration. 

"We advise the public to exercise extreme caution in purchasing and consuming the alcohol beverage, and to buy only those registered with FDA," said Eric Domingo, officer-in-charge of the FDA. 

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said lambanog poisoning is caused by residual methanol, which, in high levels, becomes highly toxic for humans. DMS