Naked man found dead in Banate

By Jennifer P. Rendon

A man sans clothing was found dead morning of July 13, 2022 in Banate, Iloilo.

A resident of Barangay Magdalo, Banate found the body of the still unidentified man at a vegetated portion of the village.

Lieutenant Renzo Martinez, Banate police chief, said they were informed about the incident around 7 a.m. of Wednesday.

The victim’s body was found more than 10 meters from the paved road. There were no houses near the area.

But a National Housing Authority (NHA) project, which is already inhabited by beneficiaries, sits more than 100 meters from the place where the body was found.

Martinez said the victim was around 30 to 40 years old.

The body was heavily tattooed. But the most prominent was the mark, “TIVS 359” encircling his navel.

Based on initial reports, the victim had no gunshot or stab injuries.

But a hematoma was found on the side of his right eye indicating that he could have been struck by a hard object.

Immediately after the discovery, Martinez said they coordinated with adjacent police stations to check if there are reported missing persons.

There are no witnesses yet to suggest if a vehicle was seen dumping the body in the area.

“But we’re checking CCTV footages from nearby barangays,” he said.

It was surmised that the victim died less than 12 hours since it was discovered.

There were initial reports that the man looked like a certain Negro, a cockfight kristo from Barotac Viejo.

Martinez said they immediately sent a photo of the found dead man to Barotac Viejo Police Station for verification.

“They found Negro. He’s still alive,” he said.

Martinez said they could not conclude yet if the body was only discarded in Magdalo or if he was killed in the area where he was found dead.