5 children downed by ‘tuba-tuba’ in Cotabato

KIDAPAWAN CITY – Five children, all residents of a flooded village in Pikit, North Cotabato, were hospitalized after they ate seeds or fruits of jathropa, more locally known as tuba-tuba, kasla, galumba or tubang bakod, at around 6 p.m. Tuesday.

Tahira Kalantongan, disaster risk reduction and management officer in Pikit town, said the victims, aged four to 13, suffered from gastritis, the symptoms of which included upset stomach, nausea, abdominal bloating, vomiting, and indigestion.

The victims were reported to have been harvesting fruits in their village when they happened to come upon tuba-tuba seeds, which they thought to be edible.

Kalantongan said that two hours after the children ate the tuba-tuba seeds, they started to complain of headaches, stomach pains, vomiting and diarrhea, prompting their parents and neighbors to rush them to the Cruzado Medical Clinic.

The DRRM officer, citing doctor’s diagnosis, claimed the children were victims of food poisoning.

Tuba-tuba is primarily cultivated in the Philippines for its seed oil, which is a raw material for candles, soap, varnish, and lamp oil. It has been known as a substitute for diesel oil.

The sap, wood, oil and leaves of the plant are used in herbal medicine to treat wounds, rheumatism, skin diseases and stomach ache.

It was the second case of food poisoning in Pikit town since August.

On August 10, five members of a family in Barangay Kabasalan were hospitalized after they ate rice they bought from the Poblacion market.