200 students down from smoke bomb in Bicol University’s sportsfest

Over 200 students required medical attention after fainting or experiencing hyperventilation due to the use of colored smoke bombs during Bicol University (BU) Hataw 2025, a mass demonstration marking the start of the university’s sports festival.

Color smoke bombs were handed out to students across the BU-Albay Sports Complex on Oct. 20 for use after the 13-minute dance routine, leaving the venue covered in foul-smelling smoke, according to participants.

In the latest report of the BU Health Services, 184 students who experienced respiratory problems were given attention by the university clinic, with some being rushed to nearby hospitals after the event.

An additional 83 students also went to the said clinic on the following day, Oct. 21, to seek medical assistance.

Trishia Faye Dometita, a BU student who participated in the Hataw, expressed how difficult it was to breathe because of the smoke emitted by the canister, as some used the said equipment already at the start of the event.

“Halos hindi ako makagalaw sa pwesto for the first three minutes dahil sa kapal ng usok at hindi na ako makahinga. Habang sumasayaw pa kami, may mga naghahagis na ng smoke bombs sa oval. Imagine mo ‘yun: 12 minutes ng hataw, sabayan ng usok, init, hingal, at chemicals na nilalanghap ng mga estudyante,” she stated in a Facebook post.

Dometita questioned the use of the canister as it was found out that there are explicit warning labels that state that the material is harmful when used in near proximity.
“At alam naman nating lahat na may warning sa packaging ng smoke canister tungkol sa danger ng usok nito sa kalusugan, lalo na sa close contact. So bakit pinayagan? Bakit walang nag-isip kung gaano ka-dangerous ‘yun lalo na sa ganitong setup?…This is not a simple mistake but a complete negligence,” she added.

Call for accountability

Numerous students and several organizations called on the event organizers to be held accountable for the mishap.

BU College of Arts and Letters College Student Council asserted that the well-being of the students should never be compromised for performance, stressing that welfare should be the university’s priority.

“We are called the University for Humanity, yet this incident stands in clear contradiction to that name. If we truly stand for humanity, then student welfare must always come first. This should not simply be treated as a lesson learned, but as a call to action to prioritize student safety over performance, accountability over negligence, and student welfare over image,” the council’s official statement remarked.

Kabataan Partylist Bicol also expressed their dismay following the separate statements made by ex-House representative Joey Salceda and the Legazpi City Police regarding the smoke bomb incident.

In a now-deleted Facebook post, Salceda told the public to refrain from blaming people, and said that the budget for the fireworks supposed to be displayed was used for relief operations in Masbate.

“Saka na sisihan, wag na uulitin. Napunta sa Masbate relief yung pangfireworks,” Salceda stated.

Kabataan saw this response as “unacceptable” and “insensitive” at a time when empathy and accountability should have prevailed.

“For the people of Masbate who continue to suffer from the destruction caused by Typhoon Opong, such words are not only disrespectful but also belittle the gravity of their situation and the importance of aid meant for their survival and recovery,” the organization added.

The Legazpi City Police also downgraded the smoke bombs as not dangerous, contrary to the students’ experiences, and said that fear was the one that caused the participants’ distress.

Kabataan slammed this investigation as it downplays the impact of the incident on the students, and it removes accountability from the involved.

“These remarks dismiss the lived experiences of those who struggled to breathe, fainted, and required medical assistance that night. Downplaying the impact of what occurred only deepens the frustration and trauma felt by the students and their families who expected safety within their university,” they stated.

Admin action

Following the mishap, BU has suspended the sports festival and the classes for two days in consideration of the emotional and physical toll that the incident may have caused the students.

The administration said that the technical working group will be established to assess the whole incident and to ensure that accountability shall be given to those responsible.

Immediate and necessary medical, financial, and psychosocial assistance has also been provided and is still being extended by the university to those who were affected by the smoke bomb incident.

As of now, some students have shown late respiratory symptoms from the smoke, while some are still receiving medical attention.