Bodies found in old Benguet 'dumping ground'

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines — Tales of Poyopoy, a sitio in Tuba town in Benguet, as a dumping ground of victims of summary executions flourished in the 1970s and early 1980s.

Dimly lit, grassy and uninhabited, the area along the highway in Tuba is supposedly where "executioners" either finish their victims off or where they dump the bodies. Sooner or later, the corpses would be found because of the stench.
 
The stories came back to life on Tuesday afternoon after authorities found five bodies already decomposing and two human skeletons 39-meters below the highway.  On Wednesday morning, the decomposing body of a man was also found in the area.

Police said the bodies are believed to have been dumped more than two weeks ago, while the two skeletons may have been in the area for at least a month.
 
The stench of death was first noticed by residents midday Tuesday, prompting them to seek the police.

Late Tuesday afternoon, all of the first five cadavers and two skeletons, who are yet to be identified, were brought up from the ravine.  

Another one was brought up Wednesday morning, as families looking for missing loved ones have been heading to the area.

Maj. James Acod, Tuba police chief, said it is too early to conclude the bodies are of victims of summary execution. 

Col. Elmer Ragay, Benguet police director, said he cannot issue any statement pending identification of the bodies and a deeper investigation into how they ended up in Poyopoy.