Another body found in Tondo; cops eye vigilante group

MANILA, Philippines - Manila Police District (MPD) investigators are looking into the possibility that a group of vigilantes are behind a series of summary executions in Manila after a second body was found at the former Smokey Mountain dump in Tondo, Manila in as many days.

A fish dealer found the body of a man stuffed into a black garbage bag and a rice sack before dawn yesterday. The victim’s hands and feet were bound with white plastic cables and his head was wrapped in packaging tape, on which were written the words “Holdaper ako (I’m a robber).”

The victim had tattoos all over his body, the most prominent of which was the word “Commando,” indicating he was a jailhouse gang member, police said.

Senior Police Officer 2 Virgo Villareal of the MPD homicide division said the victim may have been strangled somewhere else and dumped in the area.

On Thursday, the body of a man was found a few meters from where the second body was dumped. The first victim bore a stab wound in the chest.

Villareal would not comment on whether some law enforcers were behind the killings, but admitted that the two summary executions in the past two days bore a resemblance.

He said that there was a series of summary executions in the 1990s. No one was convicted for those crimes, but crime rate in Manila dropped drastically when news of notorious criminals being executed broke, Villareal said.

Another police officer, who requested anonymity, told The STAR that a group of policemen may be killing hardened criminals and recidivists.

“Maybe these are law enforcers who grew tired of watching criminals aggressively break the law. They’re probably thinking that they’re rendering service to the community… but nobody is above the law,” he said.