At least 28 people, including minors, were hospitalized due to food poisoning in Cebu City last Friday, a regional Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) official said Monday.

In a radio interview, DSWD Cebu City head Ester Concha said "26 minors and two house parents" of Sta. Rita de Cascia Dormitory, "the center of abuse of women and children under the local government" were brought to Cebu City Medical Center after eating fish last Friday.

Concha said the victims experienced "minor symptoms, like headache, stomach pain and vomiting".

"We have them brought to the Cebu City Medical Center just to make sure that they will be protected. So actually on the same night,on the same day, they all want to go home to the center, but the doctor wants to observe them until the following morning. So the following day, all of them actually went back to the center and (they were) well," she said.

Concha said the food poisoning was believed to be caused by the fish, which was delivered on Wednesday but not frozen properly before it was cooked on Friday.

"The food supply in the center is delivered once a week. Maybe the storage was not closed properly," she said. Robina Asido/DMS