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Last Apr 9, ErgoCha shop owner William Abrigo, 57, and customer Suzaine Dagohoy, 28, died after they both drank some of the Hokaidou (as spelled in the shop’s tarpaulin ad) flavor milk tea at the said milk tea shop on Bustillos Street in Sampaloc. Dagohoy and her boyfriend, Arnold Aydalla, 34, had complained to Abrigo that the milk tea tasted strange. To prove them wrong, Abrigo drank some of the tea as well. Moments later, all three felt bad. Abrigo and Dagohoy died, while Aydalla is still at the hospital.
ErgoCha has been closed and Abrigo’s family said it will not be reopened.
“Now, Abrigo’s son, Lloyd, is under investigation for the death of his father and Dagohoy,” reports Aie Balagtas See in The Philippine Star.
Inspector Melchor Villar, chief of Manila Police District (MPD) homicide section, explained, “Their helper has a statement. We cannot ignore that.”
The report noted: “According to the helper, identified by the alias Raymundo Santos, the night before the tragedy, a foul smell wafted through ErgoCha’s kitchen. Abrigo’s only son, Lloyd, allegedly brought the foul-smelling liquid into the kitchen just before 10pm on Wednesday, April 8.”
Santos said in Filipino: “It was the second time that… Lloyd brought something like that in the kitchen. I didn’t think it was suspicious until (Abrigo and Dagohoy) died.”
Santos added that about a month ago, Lloyd had also visited the store. At that time, Santos recalled that the pitcher they use to make milk tea smelled of bleach. In fact, around that time, a customer complained of stomach pains after ordering milk tea.
The report said that “Lloyd’s lawyer, Atty. Benedicto Buenaventura, the family will give its statement after [Abrigo is laid to rest].”
