Two more bodies of ‘salvage victims’ found in Leyte town

VILLABA, LEYTE, Philippines  â€“ Two more bodies were found in Barangay Hibulangan last Monday morning, bringing to five the number of people believed to have been subjected to serial killings since Good Friday.

The third dead body was found last Friday, April 5, in Barangay Antipolo, Albuera town. The first two were found in Matag-ob town on Good Friday.

One of the bodies found in Villaba was identified as Reynaldo Lorita, 32, from Ormoc City.

Sr. Insp. Clark Chavarria said Lorita’s older brother, Jimmy, claimed the body after it was announced that one of the two victims found in Villaba had the tattoos “Alan Lorita” on his right leg and “BSL Obod” on his forehead. The other victims also had tattoos.

Jimmy told the police that his brother has been in and out of jail and even robbed him once. Lorita suffered six gunshot wounds – one on his head and another in his mouth. The other victim found in Villaba suffered four gunshot sounds in his upper body. The two men were round with their hands and feet tied with a thin and yellow nylon rope.

The body found last Friday was identified as that of Felix Lora, a native of Baybay who resided temporarily in Ormoc. His body was found in the road in Barangay Antipolo in Albuera some 20 minutes away from Ormoc City.

SPO1 Noel dela Victoria of the Albuera PNP said the victim was identified by an informant and a background check showed that he had a police record and had just gone out of jail.

On Good Friday, March 29, the bodies of Randy Cañete, 25, and Rodolfo Lato, 32, were found hog-tied, stabbed and peppered with bullets in Barangay Balagtas in Matag-ob town some 45 minutes away from Ormoc City.

The police learned that Cañete and Lato were friends who have served jail sentences and who have just been released last year. The last time Cañete was seen alive was last March 28 when he was buying barbeque for his family. Meanwhile, Lato was reportedly picked up from his house by unidentified men in a white van before his body was found dead.

Since January this year, police have recorded nine residents of Ormoc who were killed brutally. That month, bodies of three members of the True Brown Style gang were found dead with their throats slit. The day before, another body was found at a river in Barangay San Isidro in Ormoc City.  (FREEMAN)