German's Filipina wife found dead

MANILA, Philippines - A 52-year-old Filipina married to a German national was discovered dead inside the garage of a condominium building in Ermita, Manila yesterday morning.

Susana Witka was reportedly using the garage of Plaza Tower condominium as her sleeping quarter after she was forcibly evicted from the nearby Juliana Hotel along L. Guerrero street in Ermita when she failed to pay her bills.

According to PO1 Gerry Amores, Witka billeted at the hotel when she arrived from Mindoro province last December. She paid an advance for three months telling hotel staff she was waiting for the arrival of her German husband. However, when the three months room rent had lapsed, she failed to pay her bills, prompting the hotel to evict her. Since then, she used a portion of the garage of the nearby building as her sleeping quarter.

There were reports that the victim became addicted to casino, Amores said.

At around 5 a.m. yesterday, Teodelo Bacarro, a stay-in maintenance personnel of the condominium building, told police he woke up Witka to give her breakfast which he usually does every morning. However, he said he was surprised to find her already dead.

Amores said no sign of any external physical injury was noted on the victim. He said the cause of her death will be determined after the autopsy.

Chief Inspector Erwin Margarejo who heads the homicide section of the Manila Police District is calling on the relatives of the victim to claim her body at the St. Harold funeral parlor. He is also coordinating with the German embassy for a possible contact with the victim’s husband, who is identified through papers left by the victim at the hotel as Thomas Witka of Berlin.       – Nestor Etolle