MANILA, Philippines—The bodies of a man and a woman, believed to be victims of summary execution, were discovered five minutes apart early Thursday in Manila’s San Andres Bukid district.
Both bodies bore strangulation marks, had their hands bound and packaging tape wound around their faces.
Placed on the male victim’s body was a sign, wrapped in a clear plastic bag, which read: “Pusher ako. Magnanakaw din ako (I am a drug pusher. I am also a thief).”
Police Officer 3 Giovanni Valera of the Manila Police District homicide section described the male victim to be between 45 and 50 years old, five-foot-four inches tall, fair-skinned, of medium build, and clad in a white sleeveless shirt and gray sweater and camouflage pants.
The woman was also between 45 and 50 years old, five-foot-one inch tall, fair-skinned, and clad in a dark blue shirt and checkered pants.
Neither of the bodies, he pointed out, bore a tattoo mark and they were found separately at Barangay (village) 807 Zone 87 in San Andres Bukid.
Valera said that the first body to be discovered was that of the woman, who was found at around 1:05 a.m. lying on the gutter of a sidewalk along Perlita Street near Dagonoy Street.
Neighborhood watch member Salvador Lligarco was conducting a routine patrol along Perlita Street when he stumbled onto the body and immediately reported his find to the police.
Five minutes later, 37-year-old vendor Ruben Mingote was about to go to sleep on the sidewalk on Sergio Osmena Highway when his pet dog started barking and growling and would not stop.
When Mingote decided to investigate, he found the man’s body dumped on the gutter along the highway near Zobel Roxas Street. He immediately sought the help of roving policemen.
Valera said that both bodies were possibly killed and dumped in the area by the same perpetrators, judging from the manner the victims were executed.
He pointed out that the woman could have been collateral damage with the male victim the suspects’ primary target. The case investigator stressed that the woman could have simply been at the wrong place, at the wrong time.
The bodies were taken to the St. Harold funeral parlor for autopsy.