ANTIQUE — A local farmer has come forward and admitted to spraying two types of pesticides shortly before several students at Pis-anan National High School and Pis-anan Central School in Sibalom, Antique experienced symptoms of dizziness, headache, and nausea on July 2, allegedly after inhaling what they described as an overripe guava-like odor.
This was confirmed by Rodel Esler, information officer of Task Force Pis-anan, in a local radio interview
According to Esler, the farmer voluntarily approached the task force and disclosed that he had recently applied two pesticide variants to his vegetable and rice fields. Samples of the soil and plants from the farmer’s area were collected and submitted for confirmatory testing by a chemist from the University of Antique to verify whether the substances used match those cited in the report.
Authorities also recovered remaining quantities of the pesticide from the farmer.
Esler said part of the ongoing investigation is to verify the exact location of the farmland in relation to the schools and to analyze wind direction at the time of the incident.
Initial reports from the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office indicated a north-northwest wind direction, which could potentially explain how fumes may have drifted toward the schools.
Additionally, Esler shared that one of the two pesticides used emitted an odor resembling ripe guava, which matches the students’ descriptions prior to their symptoms.
The Task Force Pis-anan is expediting the investigation and expects to release its findings as soon as possible./PN
