Metrobriefs

‘Happy hour’ turns tragic

“Happy hour” ended tragically for a 40-year-old construction worker when he died before dawn Saturday at a hospital an hour after he was found unconscious inside the restroom of a beerhouse in Manila. Police identified the victim as Elvis Baranquel, a stay-in worker at the City Place Mall in Binondo. Investigation showed that Baranquel had gone Friday night to a drinking binge with his coworkers and buddies in Tondo. One of Baranquel’s companions, Ledo Valencia, told police that Baranquel went to the toilet at around 11 p.m. When Baranquel took a long time to rejoin the group, Valencia went to the toilet to check on him but found him sitting on the toilet bowl unconscious. Valencia claimed that he thought that Baranquel was only drunk and decided to leave him inside the toilet to sleep off his drunkenness. However two hours later, when the group was leaving, they found Baranquel still unconscious but noticed that his hands were cold and that he no longer moved. This prompted the men to bring him to the nearest hospital, where he died while undergoing treatment. Jeannette I. Andrade

‘Chop-chop’ case probed

THEY are like separate pieces of a puzzle waiting to be solved. Police are now investigating the gruesome murder of a man whose severed body parts were thrown in different places in Valenzuela City and were found on Saturday. SPO1 Percy Villanueva of the Valenzuela City investigation unit said the body parts were grouped in three and thrown in different places. SPO2 Arnold San Juan told the Inquirer that a certain George Caco came forward and identified the victim based on the severed head recovered by the police. Caco claimed the severed head belonged to Julius Caco, a former watchman of Barangay Karuhatan. On Saturday, Senior Supt. Wilben Mayor, chief of police who led a team of field investigators in Barangay Karuhatan confirmed Caco’s information. He added that there were no bullet wounds found in any part of the victim’s body. Kristine Felisse Mangunay