Arroyo: Boracay safe for tourists

MALAY, Aklan — President Arroyo broke her busy campaign schedule and flew to the resort island of Boracay yesterday to reassure local and foreign tourists the murders of three Westerners and a Filipina maid last Sunday was "an isolated incident."

Mrs. Arroyo spent 40 minutes with investigators at the luxury villa where the murders took place last Sunday as she personally received updates on the investigation surrounding the killings.

The foreign victims were identified as Swiss-born art gallery owner Manfred Schoeni, German property developer and villa owner Anton Faustenhauser, and Hong Kong-based British architect John Cowperthwaite.

A Filipina maid identified as Erma Sarmiento was also among those killed in what the police said was a case of bungled robbery.

Western Visayas police director Chief Superintendent George Aliño briefed Mrs. Arroyo on the progress of the investigations as she personally visited the crime scene.

Aliño told the President they have detained nine of the 25 construction workers who were questioned after the bodies were found on Sunday morning.

Mrs. Arroyo said she is convinced the murder of the three foreigners and their Filipina maid was an isolated incident which should not a cause for alarm for the local and foreign tourists.

She said the incident took place in a "very secluded" private property outside the tourist-frequented areas in the island.

"We will make sure that this isolated incident will not affect tourism travels in Boracay as security and law enforcement are bolstered and the culprits are brought to justice, the President said.

Aliño informed Mrs. Arroyo that there had been "no major single incident" occurring in Boracay even at the height of the "horrendous" tourist traffic of 100,000 local and foreign travelers who visited the tiny island resort during the Holy Week.

"So we would like to assure to our foreign and local tourists that Boracay is very peaceful. This is an isolated robbery case," the President said.

She emphasized the government had invested a lot in the resort’s security which is a popular tourist destination nestling in the azure waters of the Sulu Sea.

Despite the murders, Tourism Secretary Roberto Pagdanganan said the country remains a peaceful destination.

He stressed that the incident was an isolated case which should not discourage tourists from going to the world-famous beach island resort.

"However unfortunate, the incident is an isolated case. We assure the tourists and residents of Boracay and any of our tourist destinations that the same should not cause serious alarm. The Philippines remains, and will remain as a safe and ideal destination," Pagdanganan said.

An Airtight Case

During her visit at the crime scene, Mrs. Arroyo was shown the weapons used in the murder — a bread knife said to have been used on Sarmiento and a meat knife allegedly used on the three foreigners.

Aliño said police were still working on the robbery theory but were keeping an open mind.

A Rhodesian Ridgeback dog owned by Faustenhauser was believed to have been tied up in the maid’s quarters at the time of the murder.

Some resorts on the island have reported some cancellations following the murders, which have shocked Boracay and the expatriate community in Hong Kong.

Schoeni was a leading dealer in Chinese contemporary art with two galleries in Hong Kong’s fashionable SoHo district. The British architect was the son of Sir John Cowperthwaite, Hong Kong’s financial secretary between 1961 and 1971.

Faustenhauser, 69, had finished building his house about 14 months ago and was subdividing his one-hectare lot into building blocks. Schoeni was building a villa next door.

Aliño informed the President that it appears Sarmiento, who slept at the ground floor of the three-story villa, was the first one killed by the suspects using the bread knife which was among the items recovered by police at the crime scene.

He said the maid’s blood samples matched those found in the bread knife along with a kitchen knife recovered at the lavatory.

A gray cap was also recovered and a blood-stained white clutch bag containing the passport and credit cards of Scheoni was recovered at a ravine close to the villa.

Aliño said forensic experts from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) are conducting technical evaluation of the prints gathered at the crime scene.

He said the prints are being compared to those of the remaining suspects that are still detained for questioning over the killing.

"We will be awaiting the technical findings because these will be important to support our theory that they (suspects) perpetrated this heinous act and their primary motive is robbery," Aliño said.

The NBI has stepped into the investigation after the relatives of the based in Hong Kong sought for the bureau’s assistance.

Aliño vowed to build an airtight case against the suspects who he refused to identify.

"We have some good leads and I hope we can follow up these leads until we are able to solve the case," he said.

Mrs. Arroyo, for her part, said she is satisfied with the pace of the investigation. — with Pia Lee-Brago, Cecille Suerte Felipe, AFP