Eat hurts

There is nothing wrong with easing the hunger pangs of school children. Unless, of course, the youngsters suffer from harm in the process.

Those behind a feeding program in Muntinlupa City last Saturday should bear this in mind after 109 children who partook of the meals served had to be rushed to a hospital.

The suspected victims of food poisoning were residents of Southville 3 village in Barangay Poblacion who complained of severe stomach pain, vomiting and diarrhea hours after eating the free meal.

Vidalyn Dugong said three of her children were among the victims but they did not taste nor smell anything to indicate something was wrong with the egg and meat dishes they ate.

As the saying goes: “There’s no such thing as a free lunch.” Apparently, something unwelcome did come with the free food served to the Southville 3 residents.

What that something is will be known from the results of the test conducted by city health officials on the food samples taken from the feeding program.

The school that sponsored the feeding program has coordinated with the city authorities and promised to shoulder the medical expenses of the victims.

The moral of the story is that extreme care must be taken in ensuring the safety of any feeding program. Otherwise, it could turn into a medical assistance program.