BACOLOD City – Negros Occidental police continue to investigate the discovery of five lifeless bodies – believed to be summary execution victims – in Talisay City last August.
The Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (NOCPPO) activated the Special Investigation Task Group (SITG) on August 14 to establish the identities of the victims.
Police Captain Judesses Catalogo, NOCPPO spokesperson, said of the three individuals found dead on August 11 in barangays Concepcion and Matab-ang, two have already been identified: 48-year-old Mars Relles of Villa Soledad, Barangay Estefania, Bacolod City, and alias “Kokoy,” a resident of Candoni.
The latest two dead bodies found were that of a man and a woman in Barangay Dos Hermanas on August 29. Authorities said they were already in an advanced state of decomposition and beyond recognition when discovered in a grassy area of a privately owned lot.
According to Catalogo, the SITG conducts weekly coordination meetings, and any developments from city and municipal police stations are immediately forwarded to the task group to fast-track the probe.
Police were also coordinating with the Bacolod City Police Office and other stations across the province to check for possible links to missing persons.
Meanwhile, Police Lieutenant Ramon Juablar, deputy chief of the Talisay City Police Station, said their investigation faces challenges due to the victims’ lack of identities and eyewitnesses.
Juablar said they have yet to determine if the latest deaths are linked to the first three lifeless bodies discovered.
For her part, Talisay City’s Mayor Rowena Lizares has directed the city police to thoroughly investigate the said incidents.
She further assured the public that the city government will support police efforts to bring justice to the victims.
“Please do not hesitate to reach out to our Talisay City PNP if you need assistance or support,” the mayor said, adding that the safety of all Talisaynons remains their top priority.
As of this writing, investigators were still assessing the victims’ backgrounds. They believe the five individuals may have come from Bacolod City or other towns and cities in Negros Occidental. (Watchmen Daily Journal)/PN
