Task groups eyed to probe dumping of human remains, mutilated body parts

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD City – The Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) is planning to create two task groups that will focus on probing the dumping of mutilated human body parts and the recent cases of found human remains here.

In a press briefing yesterday, Police Major Nestor Bacuyag, BCPO spokesperson, said they will make the recommendation to the Police Regional Office (PRO)-6.

Bacuyag said there are parameters that should be followed in the activation of a task group. But once approved by the regional level, other law enforcement units can be tapped to help the investigators on the ground.

On Tuesday night, another decomposing remains of a person were found along the Economic Highway at Purok Ipil-ipil, Barangay Cabug here.

Police Captain Rondyll Tapang, head of Police Station 9, said they responded to a report regarding a foul odor emanating from the said area.

When they verified the information, they found a sack containing the remains placed inside a concrete pipe in the grassy portion of the area.

The following day, the remains were identified by a family from Silay City, Negros Occidental, according to Tapang.

However, Tapang said the family requested not to disclose the name of the 42-year-old male victim for their safety.

Tapang said the victim reportedly went missing on April 18, according to his family.

He was arrested in a buy-bust operation in 2015. But the family is not privy to the victim’s case, including how he was able to get out of jail, Tapang said.

The family was able to identify the victim through his body build. They, however, refused to subject the victim to autopsy and DNA examination, he added.

Tapang said the victim was just dumped in the area as there were no traces that a crime was committed there.

Prior to this incident, skeletons of an unidentified person and a decomposing body of another unidentified person sealed in a sack were also found dumped in a concrete pipe along the Economic highway in Barangay Felisa on April 30.

With these two incidents, Tapang said that they are coordinating with Police Station 10 on the deployment of policemen in the area to prevent the same incident.

He said they are looking for an ideal location to put up a detachment to intensify police visibility in the area.

On April 24, a call center agent was also found dead with multiple stab wounds in a nipa hut in Barangay Alijis.

Policemen earlier looked into a robbery hold-up as possible motive in the incident since the victim’s valuables and motorcycle were missing when he was found lifeless.

With regard to the severed body parts, the BCPO has recorded three incidents this year.

The first incident was reported at Purok Kagaykay, Barangay 2 on Jan. 25, where two severed hands placed inside a plastic container along with a paper with names linking them to illegal drugs were found by a garbage collector.

Two months later, a pair of severed human feet were found dumped in front of an establishment along C.L. Montelibano, Barangay Villamonte on March 29.

The following month, a severed hand along with a note linking a policeman to illegal drugs was also found dumped at the roadside at Zone 3, Ilang-Ilang Street, Purok Riverside, Barangay Bata on April 17.

Policemen suspect that the mutilated body parts could be from deceased individuals.

Police Colonel Noel Aliño, BCPO acting director, has earlier ordered the police to coordinate with neighboring police stations in the province and look for missing individuals to aid them in the investigation.

Despite these cases, Bacuyag said the crime statistic of the BCPO is very low. Thus, he stressed that Bacolod City is generally peaceful.

Bacuyag said the recent cases can be considered “isolated.”

He said they are probing if the incidents in Barangays Felisa and Cabug can be linked, considering the manner or pattern of the killing and dumping of their remains in the same area.

When asked if there could be vigilante groups here, Bacuyag said they do not discount the possibility. “We are looking into that. But, for now, we cannot give a statement relative to this kung nag e-exist,” he added.

Bacuyag said the BCPO condemns these killings.

He said that if the task groups fail to solve these cases within six months, the regional level can take on these cases.