Murdered, ‘hashtagged’ on Makati street

Whoever did it not only had the impunity to commit murder but also had time for wordplay.

Two men were found dead on a Makati City street in the wee hours of Thursday, but something else about the victims caught the attention of police investigators.

Stuffed in separate garbage bags, the victims were dumped with placards conveying the “crimes” they had supposedly committed before they were killed—all written as hashtags, as though for a Twitter post.

One placard read: “#nagmahal #nagbasag kotse #nagtulak #namatay” (fell in love, broke into a car, peddled drugs, got killed). The other said:  “#nagmahal #nasaktan (got hurt or became heartbroken) #nagtulak #namatay”.

Millennial-speak

It was the sort of language associated with the so-called millennial-speak or “hugot” lines.

Most victims of vigilante-style killings targeting drug suspects also bore placards when their bodies were found, but the wordings usually just brand them as drug pushers who “should not be emulated” (Huwag tularan).

A female resident of Barangay Pio del Pilar alerted village officials about the two garbage bags she spotted along Estacion Street corner Arnaiz Avenue (Pasay Road) around 1:15 a.m. on Thursday, the Southern Police District said.

Wrapped faces

Responding policemen found two male bodies inside the bags, which were both hogtied and with the faces wrapped in packaging tape.

The victims were estimated to be between 40 to 45 years old. One of them was wearing a gray T-shirt and pants, while the other was wearing sando and khaki pants.

Eleven bullet casings and a slug believed to be from a .45-caliber pistol were recovered by crime scene operatives.

The bodies were brought to Veronica Funeral Homes for autopsy and safekeeping pending their identification.