The body of a drug suspect turned up in Pasay City shortly before dawn on Sunday, three weeks after the Philippine National Police suspended the war on illegal drugs.
The female victim was found at 4:20 a.m. on Diokno Boulevard near the Manila Film Center at the Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex, case investigator SPO2 Genomar Geraldino said.
The perpetrators left a piece of paper on top of the still-unidentified victim with the message: “Pusher ako!!! Marami na ako dinemonyo!!! Wag tularan!!! (I’m a drug peddler. I’ve enticed a lot of people into doing bad things. Don’t emulate me)”
Traffic enforcer Allan Paez said he was manning his post when five teenagers called his attention to the body. After verifying the information, he told his superior who reported his discovery to the police.
The woman’s head was wrapped in plastic and packaging tape. She was estimated to be between 30 and 35 years old, 4’11” tall with long straight hair.
Of slim build and with fair complexion, the victim was dressed in a gray shirt and jeans.
The body was brought to Rizal Funeral Homes for autopsy.
Three days earlier, a man said to be a police asset in the campaign against illegal drugs was gunned down inside his house, also in Pasay City.
At the height of the drug war, as many as 11 drug-related deaths occurred weekly in the city.