Palace: FDA double-checking initial findings on cause of milk tea deaths
MALACAÑANG on Sunday said that the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) is double-checking the initial findings of the tests it conducted to determine the chemical substance in the milk tea, which left two people dead last Thursday.
BACKSTORY:Milk tea kills 2 in Manila in 3 minutes; police can’t say what happened
“According to Health Secretary Janette Garin, the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) now has the initial results based on the tests it conducted on the milk tea which killed two persons in Sampaloc, Manila last Thursday. However, the FDA is still verifying the results of the tests to make its findings more definitive,” Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr.
Coloma said that the Department of Health (DOH) is also coordinating with the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG), the Department of Justice, and National Bureau of Investigation (DOJ-NBI) to aid in probing the criminal aspect of the case.
The Palace official also urged local health authorities to be vigilant in issuing health permits to local establishments and to implement state health and safety regulations.
Reports said that the FDA is checking if cyanide is the substance, which caused the death of Suzaine Dagohoy and William Abrigo after sipping a “Hokkaido” flavored milk tea from ErgoCha Milk Tea House on Bustillos Street in Sampaloc, Manila on Thursday.
READ: FDA checking for cyanide in Manila tea shop deaths
Dagohoy complained to store owner Abrigo that the drink was foul tasting which prompted Abrigo to taste the drink. Minutes after, both Dagohoy and Abrigo collapsed then later died.
Dagohoy’s boyfriend, Arnold Aydalla, who took a sip of the drink but immediately spat it out, is still recovering at the Philippine General Hospital.
In an autopsy report released by the Manila Police District, the cause of Dagohoy’s death was due to “shock secondary to ingestion of toxic substance.”
Meanwhile, according to Manila sanitary officer Milagros Valenzuela, ErgoCha Milk Tea House had not incurred any sanitation violation prior to the fatal incident.
READ: ErgoCha record spotless prior to milk tea deaths, says sanitation exec
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