Woman’s body dumped near church

MANILA, Philippines - The body of a woman, believed to be a victim of summary execution, was dumped in front of a Christian church in Quezon City before dawn yesterday.

Senior Police Officer 1 Pascual Fabreag said the woman’s body was found in front of the First Baptist Church of Manila along Road 2 in Project 6 at around 3 a.m.

The unidentified woman, estimated to be in her 40s, was strangled and stabbed with a screwdriver, which was still embedded in her side, he said.

Fabreag said residents were the ones who found the body, which was wrapped in a green checkered blanket. Village watchmen inspected the body of the victim and found that her head was covered with a green cloth bag.

He said the victim – who was wearing only a “pantylet” – had been gagged with a black denim pants while her hands were cuffed and then tied with a white blouse. Her feet were bound with a black and white belt.

Fabreag said the victim was 5’1” in height, of medium build, fair-skinned and had a tribal tattoo on her back and a flower tattoo on her left breast.