Sunday, April 12, 2015

‘Red tape’ slows down toxic milk tea probe




Police investigating the death of two people after they took a sip of a milk tea beverage believed to be laced with poison Manila on Saturday claim they’re having a difficult time coordinating with the Food and Drug Administration which they said have been requiring “too much” paper work.

Investigators from the homicide section of the Manila Police District sent samples of the beverage to the FDA for laboratory testing, but the agency’s staff allegedly refused to examine the specimen right away due to certain “requirements”.

Chief Supt. Rolando Nana, chief of the MPD, said they’ve been urging the FDA to test the samples while it’s still “fresh”.

FDA officer-in-charge Nicolas Lutero III however, said they already started started laboratory examination procedures, but insisted that the police still need to submit a medical abstract and an investigation report. He said they expect to come up with the laboratory test results early this week.
Manila City Hall inspectors immediately shuttered Ergo Cha Milk Tea store located along Bustillos Street in Manila after the suspected food poisoning incident on Thursday which led to the death of the store’s owner William Abrigo, 57 and customer Suzanne Dagohoy, 28.

According to Christopher Joseph S. Orozco, an emergency room physician at the Ospital ng Sampaloc where the victims were taken, the other customer Arnold Aydalla, 34 had been discharged.
“From all indications, there really was poisoning involved but it’s only the police who could tell if it was accidental or deliberate,” he told The Times.
Even Malacañang has taken interest on case.

“We’d wait for further results of the investigation before we make any comment. I don’t want to take the results as they seem on the surface,” Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte
said on Radio ng Bayan on Saturday.

The Manila City Hall immediately ordered the closure of the milk tea store. It’s employees have been taken into police custody for investigation.

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