Treasure-hunting block timer on radio found dead in Liguasan marshland

COTABATO CITY, Philippines – Soldiers recovered on Sunday the body of a former town councilor who was last seen heading toward the border of Maguindanao and North Cotabato, officials said.

The decomposing body of Eddie Jesus Apostol, former town councilor of Magpet, North Cotabato, and a known treasure hunter, was fished out by elements of the 5th Special Forces Battalion in Liguasan marshland, particularly near Sultan sa Barongis, Maguindanao.

His family reported him missing on August 28.

Apostol was a radio block timer of a program sponosored by the Agham Partylist and aired over the Kidapawan City-based station dxND.

Apostol’s hands and feet were tied with a rope and he had two gunshot wounds in the head when found, said Col. Prudencio Asto, public affairs chief of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division.

Operatives of the Army’s 5th Special Forces Battalion learned of Apostol’s floating body from villagers in Barangay Masulot in Sultan sa Barongis, Maguindanao.

Apostol was last seen leaving his home on board his motorcycle along with an unidentified companion who was to guide him to a “treasure hunting site” near the border of Pikit, also in North Cotabato, and Datu Piang, Maguindanao.

Relatives of Apostol in Magpet are convinced he could have been duped into going to Pikit, where he was divested of his brand new Honda XRM motorcycle before he was killed.

Two months ago, Apostol started a 30-minute, once-a-week block time program at the Kidapawan City-based radio dxND. Prior to that, he was known to be engaged in treasure hunting.

His program, sponsored by the Agham Partylist, discussed indigenous peoples and science issues.

The dxND management said it did not and would not issue press cards to block timers. It was not clear where Apostol got the press card that was recovered from his body.