Swimmers find cadaver floating in Manila Bay

MANILA, Philippines—The stubbornness of a group of person taking a dip in the heavily polluted waters of Manila Bay led to the discovery of the decomposing body of a half-naked man on Monday morning.

PO3 Jupiter Tajonera, of the Manila Police District Homicide Section, said that several residents of Sitio Gasangan, Baseco Compound, Barangay 649 Zone 68, Port Area in Tondo were, despite a ban, swimming in an inlet of Manila Bay when they found the floating corpse at around 8:30 a.m.

The case investigator pointed out that the swimmers immediately informed barangay officials who later asked boatmen to pull the cadaver to shore.

Tajonera told the INQUIRER that the body of the man, whom he described to be between 30 and 35 years old, five-foot-six inches tall, and wearing only in a pair of brown cargo pants, could have been in the water for more than 24 hours, based on its state of decomposition.

“It is difficult to tell if the body has external injuries because of the extent of decomposition,” he disclosed, adding that none of the residents in the area was able to identify the body.

The body was brought to the St. Yvan Funeral Parlor in Malate for autopsy to determine the specific cause of his death and for safekeeping.