BACOLOD City Councilor Wilson Gamboa Jr. clarified that the preparation and distribution of the arroz caldo, conducted under his supervision, is part of the feeding program he has been consistently implemented for the past 25 years, even before his involvement in local partisan politics.
This was after on January 16, 2026, the office of Gamboa donated an arroz caldo at the Bacolod City Government Center (BCGC) for the ongoing business one-stop shop (Boss) where a staff of Business Permits and Licensing Office (BPLO) discovered a foreign object in one of the cups served to the Boss clients.
Gamboa said that based on the laboratory test result released on January 19, 2026, tested by the Negros Prawn Producers Cooperative-Analytical and Diagnostic Laboratory, it showed that the foreign object is “unknown” and Total Coliform and E. Coli test result is negative.
He said the arroz caldo is vegetable-fortified and, on many occasions, is voluntarily offered during public activities, fiestas and where people are required to wait for extended periods, such as during the business permit processing on January 16, 2026.
“This program is both an advocacy, a personal commitment to public health, public service and nutrition, where I could personally interact with the people,” he added.
Gamboa noted that aside from the laboratory test, the reported “foreign object” was “one tiny bit of foreign object with no foul smell,” as initially seen, smelled and inspected by Dr. Edwin Miraflor, medical officer of the Bacolod City Health Office.
“It was found in one cup only, as against the hundreds of cups served that day,” Gamboa said.
He said the “tiny object” is categorically not part of the ingredients, preparation, or cooking process of the arroz caldo.
“Over the course of 25 years, this program has served more than one million cups (still counting to this date) to residents across all 61 barangays of Bacolod City, without a single complaint,” he added.
If such a material had originated from the preparation stage and serving of the arroz caldo, Gamboa said the constant stirring done during the cooking process and the serving would have caused it to dissolve or disperse within the liquid content of the dish in a big-sized cauldron (kaldero).
“If it is hazardous, it cannot withstand the cooking heat, thus posing no danger to health,” he said.
He said that upon learning of the incident and personally seeing the foreign object, his office staff immediately coordinated with the City Health Office (CHO), requested the proper laboratory examination of said “one tiny bit of foreign object” in question, and the said reported foreign object was sent to the Negros Prawn Producers Cooperative-Analytical and Diagnostic Laboratory.
“For my part, I agreed with City Administrator Atty. Mark Steven Mayo, Secretary to the Mayor Atty. Marty Go and City Health Medical Officer Dr. Grace Tan, that as a health protocol, the public should be fully informed,” he added.
Mayo earlier said the City Government will now regulate the acceptance and distribution of donated food within the BCGC.
He said they already advised clients who processed business permits on Friday to seek medical consultation should they experience stomach discomfort following the distribution of donated food.
Mayo noted that the foreign object was noticed when the staff member scooped food from the cup using the fork. They distributed around 300 cups.
“The exact nature and origin of the object have yet to be determined as the City Health Office continues its investigation,” Mayo said.
Mayo said the purpose of the advisory is to ensure transparency. (MAP)
