Makati gov’t orders temporary closure of Wantusawa oyster bar after alleged food poisoning

By James Patrick Cruz, interaksyon 

Composite shows oysters and Makati City's Business Permits and Licensing Office representatives putting up a closure order notice on Wantusawa Oyster Bar (Wantusawa/Facebook; My Makati/Facebook)

The Makati City government ordered the temporary shutdown of Wantusawa Oyster Bar after its customers claimed that they experienced food poisoning early this year.

On February 13, the city’s Business Permits and Licensing Office served a closure order against the restaurant for violating the Sanitation Code. 

Mayor Abby Binay issued this order “to restore order and discipline in Makati and protect the interest of legitimate businesses, Makatizens and the general public.”

The restaurant’s management was quoted in a report as saying that the Makati City government implemented the temporary closure as it wait for the result of the water and oyster test. 

As it waits for the resumption of its operations, the oyster bar said it would conduct “maintenance work and repairs to help improve the quality of service we provide.”

Last January, the review section of the restaurant’s Facebook page was flooded with complaints. 

The restaurant’s customers claimed that they experienced stomach discomfort and food-related illnesses after allegedly consuming meals from the oyster bar.

Following this, it released a statement addressing online allegations of food poisoning.

Wantusawa said that it takes customer feedback and reviews “very seriously,” adding it is “taking it to heart.”

“We always strive to provide freshly prepared meals while adhering to critical safety and health standards,” it added.

The restaurant also said that it conducted laboratory tests on samples during the dates it received complaints.

The oyster bar said the results “have shown a negative result for bacteria and thus clearing the possibility of any food poisoning.” 

Wantusawa lamented the alleged continued “social media bullying” despite its efforts, laboratory tests and health clearances.

“In our pursuit of truth and due process, we shall likewise review our options to take any legal action against these purveyors of bullying and untruth,” it said.

Social media users, however, found the restaurant’s statement “insensitive.”

Wantusawa opened in Poblacion in 2018 and has since opened a food truck in Rockwell.

It offers fresh, baked, grilled and fried oysters, as well as shareable seafood plates. It also serves bowls of rice and noodles.

Here are over 200 ways of saying ‘I love you’ in Philippine languages and dialects

The document shows a list of how "iniibig kita" or "I love you" is expressed in over two hundred Philippine languages (UP Department of Linguistics/Facebook)

By James Patrick Cruz 

There are hundreds of ways to express love.

This was proven by a document shared by the UP Department of Linguistics. 

The document showed a list of how “iniibig kita” or “I love you” is expressed in over two hundred Philippine languages and dialects. 

This was compiled by linguist Ernesto Constantino and other members of the linguistic department in 1967. 

According to Ethnologue Languages of the World, there are 186 established languages in the Philipines, with four of which now extinct. 

Of the living languages, 41 are classified as institutional, 72 are developing, 46 are vigorous, 13 are in trouble, and ten are dying.

On February 6, the House of Representatives approved on final reading a bill that seeks to suspend the use of the mother tongue as the primary medium of instruction in early-grade education.

This bill is a response to the scarcity of learning materials in the mother tongue.  

In October last year, there was also a push to remove Mother Tongue as a subject in Grade 1 to 3 classes. 

Education Undersecretary Epimaco Densing III said, “there is no need to teach it (mother tongue) to the children because this is already their everyday language in the school and community and family.”

While others have welcomed this suggestion, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) expressed concern saying that the “step will make learning recovery more difficult and shows how the agency lacks real appreciation of the Mother Tongue’s role in learning.”