IT exec found dead in Pasay

MANILA, Philippines – An executive of an information technology firm, reported missing last week, was found dead in his car at the parking lot of a Pasay City hotel Tuesday morning.

Jose Florencio Tongson, 33, the partner relationship management and channel programs manager at Samsung Electronics, had been missing since Jan. 30, said Senior Superintendent Joel Doria, city police chief.

Tongson, 33, was a graduate of the Ateneo School of Business and had worked for hotels and other information technology firms.

His body was in the early stages of decomposition when a security guard found him in his car parked at the basement parking level of a hotel near the Villamor Airbase.

The victim was sprawled in the passenger seat of a gray Honda City (UZO-474). His head was covered with plastic bag, with a hose connected to a cannister believed to have contained helium gas, used to inflate balloons.

“The case is still under investigation. We are waiting for the results of forensic examination conducted by the Scene of the Crime Office,” he said.

Police said the victim’s personal belongings were untouched.

“Investigators are also reviewing the closed-circuit television footage of the hotel,” Doria said.

Tongson reportedly checked in at the hotel on Jan. 30 and checked out the following day.