Japanese, Fil-Am found dead

A Japanese national and a Filipino-American tourist were found dead in separate incidents Monday night.

The police are eyeing robbery as a possible motive for the death of Hiroyuki Oka, 59, whose body was found by a neighbor in his apartment in Gatchalian Subdivision, Las Piñas City.

Lolit Resulta said a foul stench coming from Oka’s apartment prompted her to check on her neighbor, and she found his body on the bed, his hands and feet tied with a nylon cord and his mouth gagged with a piece of cloth.

The police surmised that Oka, who had been in the Philippines for more than a year, had been dead for three to four days by the time he was discovered.

The police said they will question a prostitute who filed a case against Oka after he failed to pay for her services. The two had entered into an amicable settlement.

Meanwhile, the body of Jess Mas, a 68-year-old Filipino-American, was found in his room at the San Carlos Mansion in Ermita, Manila at 10 p.m. Monday.

Investigators said Mas was in a kneeling position beside his bed when he was found. No external body injury was noted on the victim, according to officer-on-case Jaime Gonzales Jr.

Investigations showed Mas arrived in the Philippines as a tourist on May 29 and was billeted at the San Carlos Mansion.

The victim was last seen alive going up to his room at around 6 p.m. last Sunday but failed to come out since then. Worried hotel staff repeatedly called on his cellular phone but the victim failed to reply.

Hotel personnel, together with the guard on duty, forced open the hotel room and found Mas’ body. Relatives of the victim, who all hailed from Taguig, rushed to the hotel upon learning of his death.

Investigators said Mas may have died of natural causes, but still are not ruling out foul play pending the outcome of the autopsy, according to Chief Inspector Dominador Arevalo Jr. who heads the homicide section of the Manila Police District.

The United States Embassy was informed of the death of the victim, Arevalo added.   – Rhodina Villanueva, Nestor Etolle