MANILA, Philippines—Policemen are eyeing the demolition of a row of makeshift houses along a creek in Quiapo’s “Vietnam Village,” an area which gained notoriety for drug-related deals and crimes, following recent reports that bodies of summary execution victims were buried there.

According to Supt. Ernesto Tendero, chief of the Manila Police District Station 3 (Sta. Cruz), he has already asked the Manila government, particularly the city engineer’s office, to look into the possibility of removing the shanties which, he claimed, have become a hideout of criminal elements.

This came after he received last week information from a woman who lives in one of the shanties along Estero de San Miguel on Arlegui Street, Quiapo, saying she heard a voice coming from beneath her house.

The informant said the voice seemed to be crying for help. Afterward, she heard a gunshot, which led her to conclude that somebody could have been killed there.

Dumped, cemented

Police said they received another tip informing them that the bodies of at least three people, particularly police assets on drug-related cases, have been dumped and cemented under the bridge.

The tips prompted the authorities to conduct a saturation drive in the area the other day, which yielded several firearms.

“One has to go through a very narrow passageway to get into the area. And the only way we can check if the information about the dead bodies being dumped there is true is to remove the makeshift houses in the area,” Tendero said.

Two years ago, Mayor Alfredo Lim already ordered the eviction of the area’s informal settlers and the demolition of their shanties.

Improve the image

He claimed that the demolition would not only help in the drive against crime but also improve the image of the nearby Muslim community.

The area along Arlegui Street reportedly got its tag in the 1970s during the Vietnam War.

Lim’s order came after the place gained media attention following the discovery in the area of two women in a drum filled with cement.

The victims were stabbed to death and the killings were reportedly drug-related.

The decomposing body of an unidentified man was found floating on Estero San Miguel the following week.

Innocent victims

Lim added that several innocent victims of summary executions may have been dumped into the creek.

“Based on the information we got, many may have been killed then dumped in this area,” he said earlier, adding that the victims could have been passersby who were held up but resisted, then killed and their bodies dumped into the area.

But two years after the demolition, some residents returned to rebuild their homes in the area.

At least five to 10 shanties will be affected should the proposed demolition pushes through, Tendero added.