Body in a sack

An apparent victim of a summary execution was discovered wrapped in a nylon sack past midnight yesterday at a vacant lot along the President Diosdado Macapagal Boulevard in Parañaque City, according to the local police.

Prober SPO2 Alberto Parena said the still unidentified male was found blindfolded, with his hands tightly tied behind his back, his face covered entirely in packing tape and his neck strangled with a piece of wire.

A roving security guard of the Public Estates Authority, identified as Alfred Suaga, stumbled upon the sack containing the body.

The victim, who was around 30 to 35 years old, 5’5" in height and clad in blue shorts, had three stab wounds in the abdomen, police said.

The security guard told investigators that prior to the discovery of the body, he noticed a Toyota Tamaraw FX parked near the vacant lot.

Tribal War

Meanwhile, a tribal war rooted to Mindanao has been identified as the possible cause for a recent spate of killings at a Muslim-dominated area in the municipality of Taguig.

Police said the body of another Muslim man was found inside the Maharlika cemetery the other day.

PO3 Alain Sigua described the unidentified victim as about 25 to 30 years old, 4’8" in height, clad in a sleeveless shirt, blue shorts and sandals.

Scene of the crime operatives said the victim, who sustained wounds from a still unknown weapon, had been dead for at least eight hours when the body was found by residents in the area at around 6 p.m.

It was the fifth body to be discovered in Taguig in less than a week.

Sigua said the family of the victim immediately took the body.

"Their customs could hamper our investigation," Sigua said in an interview. "The body had to be buried in the afternoon."

SPO4 William Dam, commander of the Maharlika Village police precinct, said the man could have been a victim of an extended war among tribes in the provinces of Mindanao.

"We are in a dilemma here," he said. "We heard that residents in the area are forced to carry firearms to defend themselves from attacks."

Dam said the lack of cooperation from families of victims due to customary beliefs has aggravated their difficulties.

Tattooed Corpse

The body of a heavily tattooed man, also an apparent victim of summary execution, was discovered in Sta. Ana, Manila yesterday morning.

A piece of paper with a handwritten note, "Marahas na holdaper wag tularan" was placed on top of the body, police said.

The victim, described as between 25 and 30 years old, at least 5’4" in height and of medium built, was discovered by early morning commuters at the corner of Ick and Carreon streets in Sta. Ana, Manila.

Investigators said the victim bore welt marks around his neck indicating he was strangled. His hands were tied behind his back with an electrical wire while his mouth was gagged with a white piece of cloth.

Passersby discovered the victim barefoot and his face covered with a white face towel. The body bore several tattoos, noticeable of which is a huge flying bird on his chest.

Police said residents nearby failed to identify the victim, indicating he was killed somewhere else and his body dumped in the area to mislead probers. — With Nestor Etolle