MPD invites milk tea shop owner’s son for questioning

The Manila Police District has invited for questioning the son of the owner of the milk tea shop that figured in a poisoning incident that killed two persons and caused another to be confined in a hospital late last week.

GMA News' "24 Oras" reported that investigators were looking at the possibility of homicide. Police, however, said they have yet to consider anyone a suspect in the incident.

"Para ma-clear niya lang kung ano man ang side nila, masabi nila.... Wala pa tayong suspect," MPD Homicide Chief Sr. Insp. Melchor Villar said.

Customer Suzanne Dagohoy and shop owner William Abrigo died on Thursday after drinking milk tea that Abrigo personally prepared.

Dagohoy's boyfriend Arnold Aydalla also took a sip but spitted it out after he found that the drink didn't taste right.

The lawyer of the Abrigo family denied that Lloyd, who recently passed the certified public accountant board examination, brought a toxic liquid to the milk tea shop.

Lawyer Benedicto Buenaventura said that Lloyd would face the MPD "in due time," after the wake and funeral of his father.

He, however, said that Lloyd already met the authorities on the very day the incident happened.



The Department of Health and the Philippine National Police-Scene of the Crime Operatives obtained more samples from the milk tea shop in Manila where two were killed last week.

A report on GMA-7's "24 Oras" said on Monday that the authorities took samples of the ingredients that Ergo Cha milk tea shop were using.

They also checked the labels and the suppliers of the milk tea shop and check their products for possible contamination.

The samples will be sent to the Food and Drug Administration for further processing, which will be released in a week.

In its initial report, the DOH said that it found no trace of suspected toxic substances in the samples it took.

Based on the footage from the closed circuit television, the first two victims--Dagohoy and Aydalla--sipped the milk tea drink before 11 a.m.. They were later rushed to the hospitals at 11:11 a.m.

Dagohoy experienced retching, dizziness, loss of consciousness, twitching of extremities, and pallor, which happened three minutes after intake. She died at 3:55 p.m.

Aydalla, on the other hand, experienced fast breathing, chest tightness, weakness of extremities, and carpopedal spasm seven minutes after he sipped the tea. He is currently at the Philippine General Hospital.

The last victim was Abrigo. Three minutes after he drank the milk tea, he experienced weakness, loss of consciousness, and generalized tonic-clonic convulsion. He died at 4:45 p.m.

Although the officials of Manila City is yet to inspect the milk tea shops in their area, its city health officer said the case was an isolated case.

"This is more likely an isolated incident. The products are safe as long as they come from reputable milk tea distributors or establishments," said Manila City Health Officer Dr. Benjamin Yson. —Trisha Macas/NB, GMA News