Lifeless body found in San Joaquin

By Jennifer P. Rendon

With duct tape covering his eyes and his hands tied, a body was found shortly before noon on Dec 6 in San Joaquin, Iloilo.

It took more than a day for police to finally identify the body as that of Janrib Obrique, 22, of San Jose, Antique.

The body was lying on his side when discovered in a vegetated portion in Sitio Balangubang, Barangay Igcondao, San Joaquin.

A woman stumbled upon the body while looking for her missing hens.

Captain Felix Perez, San Joaquin police chief, said they only found a lone gunshot on the victim’s lower left eye, with the bullet exiting through his lower right ear.

There were no personal items – wallets, mobile phones, or the like – found on the cadaver; nor were their body marks such as tattoos, scars, or wounds that may have helped identify him immediately.

According to his family, Obrique left home around 6 p.m. on Dec. 4 on board a Honda motorcycle.

He allegedly carried with him P400,000 and was to meet two female investors.

Obrique, who allegedly identified himself as a member of the LGBTQ community, was considered a big-time lender who offered loans from P50,000 to P100,000.

The victim reportedly got his money from a partner who passed away due to COVID-19.

The same partner allegedly left him with P27 million.

But Perez said they have yet to confirm the report.

The victim’s motorcycle also remains missing, as of this writing.

Police believed that the victim could have been dead for several hours already when found.

He also suffered a hematoma on his abdomen, which he might have gotten after he was thrown on the ground, Perez said.