Gin ban lifted

A barangay captain in Malabon has lifted an unofficial ban he imposed temporarily on the sale of gin, blamed for poisoning and killing eight locals early this month.

The announcement came in the wake of the official’s birthday celebration where Potrero residents "had their fill of their favorite drink." Barangay Potrero chairman Eduardo Nolasco said this was an indication they truly missed the drink.

The victims, five in the first and three in the second incident, died hours after ingesting methanol, a colorless, volatile and poisonous kind of alcohol mixed with the gin.

Eduardo Nolasco assured residents that the gin is safe for consumption.

"There is no cause for concern over the safety of the liquor product in my area. It was poison and not the gin itself that caused the deaths last month," Nolasco said.

A pathology report confirmed it was "poison deliberately placed in two liquor bottles that caused the deaths."

The rest of the bottles retrieved from the drinking area and stores in the vicinity all turned out negative for toxic substances. He said there is no further reason to restrict the sale of liquor in the area.

Nolasco said he "merely requested" two stores, which sold the liquor to the victims, to refrain from selling the product pending the crime lab results. – Jerry Botial