DAVAO CITY –— Fishermen found a floating body off the coast of Santa Maria town in Davao Oriental Sunday.
They immediately reported the incident to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).
The lifeless body was hog-tied and they suspect the victim was “salvaged”.
A police report from the Santa Maria Municipal Police Station showed that the PCG called for police assistance on April 9, at around 12:30 p.m.
“Santa Maria Police received a report from the PCG that a body was found floating on sea waters between Malalag, Davao del Sur and Santa Maria, Davao Occidental,” said Police Staff Sergeant Pepito Villaruel, Jr. of Santa Maria MPS.
Santa Maria MPS said that the male body has an “X” tattoo on his lower left eye. “The mouth was taped with black duct tape while his hands and feet were tied with cable ties,” Villaruel said.
The victim bore wounds on his abdomen and a black net bag filled with stones was tied to his body as a sinker.
Villaruel added that Santa Maria MPS decided to bury the body as it was already in an advanced state of decomposition. The body was buried in Sitio Sulok, Barangay Tanglad of the said town.
“We are conducting investigation to identify the victim and the circumstances of his death as well as identify the suspects,” Villaruel said.
