The Health department on Monday confirmed that the number of deaths due to methanol poisoning from drinking lambanog rose to eight from the initial two earlier reported.
Online and television reports, however, said the number of deaths had already reached 11 with 265 people hospitalized.
Undersecretary Eric Domingo, also officer-in-charge of the Food and Drug Administration, said the rushed or incorrect method of producing the distilled palm liquor may lead to the production of methanol, which is poisonous.
Domingo called on lambanog manufacturers to ensure that they get FDA approval for their products.
“It is important that this product is registered, checked and tested. Backyard production is really difficult because the product is not regulated,” he said.
The DOH earlier said it is investigating reports that 265 persons have fallen ill with two confirmed deaths due to poisoning after drinking coconut wine or lambanog in Rizal and Laguna provinces.
Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III said a total of 66 people were brought to Philippine General Hospital for treatment and observation.
Of the 66, 49 (84 percent) were males. Age of cases ranged from 13-65 years old.
Fifty-five or 95 percent of the victims were residents of Rizal, Laguna. All had a history of lambanog ingestion between Dec. 19 and Dec. 22.
Other affected individuals were brought to East Avenue Medical Center (62), Rizal Medical Center (82), Quirino Memorial Medical Center (13), and Batangas Medical Center (42) for medical management.
The FDA has repeatedly issued warnings to lambanog brewers over its high methanol content.
It also advised the public to exercise extreme caution in purchasing and consuming the alcohol beverage, and to buy only those registered with FDA.
“Lambanog poisoning is caused by residual methanol, which in high levels becomes highly toxic for humans,” the FDA said.
Methanol is a naturally occurring substance present during the distilling process, that should be separated and removed afterward.
Duque said FDA regulatory inspectors have been deployed to the municipality of Rizal, Laguna to collect samples and investigate the alleged poisoning incident. DOH has assigned teams to the different health facilities where affected individuals were referred.
Meanwhile, the owner of the distillery believed to be responsible for the poisoning cases surrendered to the authorities Monday, the police said.
Fred Rey, owner of “Rey Lambanog” in Batangas province, promised to help shoulder the victims’ expenses, Rizal police chief Capt. Lindley Tibuc told ABS-CBN News.
Also on Monday, the town of Rizal in Laguna was placed under a state of emergency after several people died and hundreds of others were taken to hospital due to alcohol poisoning.
Mayor Vener Muñoz said he declared a state of emergency so that the town can gain access to financial assistance.
The Palace expressed alarm over the death of 11 people due to alcohol poisoning.
Laguna Gov. Ramil Hernandez has earlier ordered a temporary ban on the sale and purchase of lambanog amid reported deaths and hospitalization of more than 200 people from methanol poisoning.
“We remind the public that they should always check whether their alcohol purchases or any product that they consume for that matter, have been registered or approved by the Food and Drug Administration,” Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said.
“Prudence dictates that we should always be mindful of what we ingest, particularly during this is time of merrymaking,” he added.
