The charred bodies of two men found in Dasmariñas, Cavite are not those of abducted publicist Salvador "Bubby" Dacer and his driver Emmanuel Corbito, according to the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
NBI investigators said the physical and dental features of the two bodies did not match those of Dacer and Corbito who have been missing since last November.
Chief Superintendent Domingo Reyes Jr., PNP Southern Tagalog chief, said the two bodies were found handcuffed inside a burned Toyota Revo, with license plate no. WHK-379, before dawn of Wednesday.
The vehicle was found off a dirt road leading to Airmen’s Village and Governor’s Drive at Sitio Felia, Barangay Sampaloc III in Dasmariñas, Cavite, Reyes said.
Residents said they heard two explosions before seeing fire engulfing the vehicle which was similar to the one used by Dacer and Corbito when they were abducted by four armed men at a street corner on the Manila-Makati boundary.
Dacer’s white Toyota Revo, however, was recovered in a shallow ravine in Cavite days after their disappearance.
Police found a Rolex watch on the wrist of one of the bodies, nine golf clubs and a commemorative plate marked "79SY 1st District Bulacan" inside the vehicle.
However, NBI Southern Tagalog medico-legal officer Antonio Vertido said neither of the charred bodies could be Dacer’s because one of them was too young while the other had intact dentures.
Reyes also said Dacer’s daughter Ampy also expressed doubt that one of the bodies was her father’s because it was uncharacteristically wearing a watch.
"Mr. Dacer, according to his daughter Ampy, has a Rolex watch but he has this habit of not wearing it. As such, we can say with certainty that the charred bodies found in Cavite are not his (Dacer’s) and his driver," said an NBI agent who requested anonymity.
Verification with the Land Transportation Office showed that the vehicle was registered under the name of Marina Dizon of 1290 Tuason Street in San Jose, Navotas.
Police said intelligence reports show that the vehicle was used in transporting illegal drugs, making them suspect that the charred bodies may be that of couriers who were slain because of a botched transaction.
Police said Dizon was a known drug dependent and could not be located at her given address, but her brother Boyet Robles said he used to maintain the vehicle while his sister was confined at a private drug rehabilitation center.
But last year, Dizon supposedly gave the vehicle to her boyfriend Roberto Cunanan, alias Bertong Bayawak, a known drug pusher from Olongapo City.