Bodies of two 'EJK victims' found in Iloilo

ILOILO CITY, Philippines — Bodies of two alleged victims of extra-judicial killing (EJK) were found, about 30 kilometers from each other, yesterday morning in Iloilo.

The first EJK victim was found by a village resident at about 5:30 a.m. after the body was dumped by the roadside at Barangay Tinorian in Barotac Nuevo town in Iloilo province.

As of this writing, Chief Inspector Raymond Celoso, Barotac Nuevo police chief, said the victim is yet to be identified, but described the man as between 30 and 40 years old, and he had a tattoo with the words "I Love You" etched on his back and a rose on his chest.

The second victim was found at Barangay Banuyao in La Paz district of Iloilo City around 6:30 a.m., or an hour after the first discovery.

It did not take long, though, for authorities to identify the victim. Family members confirmed that the body was that of Rommel Cagbay, alias Kurt, a resident of Barangay Tabuc Suba in Jaro district of the city.

Village Councilman Buds Jardeleza of Tabuc Suba confirmed that Cagbay was subjected to Oplan Tokhang, as his name was also on the Barangay Anti-Drugs Abuse Council (BADAC) watchlist. He had not been able to go home for quite awhile already before he was found dead.

A security agency also confirmed that Cagbay used to work there, but severed his employment a year ago.

While the bodies were found kilometers apart, there were similarities on the manner they were executed: Hogtied with a duct tape and the mouths wrapped also with a duct tape.

The victim at Barotac Nuevo was also handcuffed and tied within a plastic cable wire, and had about 10 gunshot wounds on the shoulder and head. .

Celoso said members of the Scene-Of-the-Crime Operations team were able to recover seven empty shells of bullets for a of .45-caliber gun. (FREEMAN NEWS)