Severed heads belong to Isabela couple, pal?

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines – Three severed heads believed to belong to a missing Filipino-Chinese couple and their business agent, who all hail from Alicia, Isabela, were fished out of a creek in Quirino province the other day.

The heads, already decomposing, were believed to be part of the “chop-chop” remains of Lucio Pua, 38, his wife Rosemarie, 39, and their business agent Gemma Eugenio, 44, who were last seen alive last Sept. 6.

Chief Superintendent Francisco Villaroman, Cagayan Valley police director, said the heads were found by scene of the crime operatives in a creek in remote Salvacion village in Quirino’s Saguday town Sunday afternoon. 

However, authorities still have to officially establish if the severed heads indeed belong to the three victims, whose bodies were cut in parts and dumped in a creek in Santiago City, Isabela.

“(Our experts) have to look first at the (victims’) dental records as one way to determine if the recovered remains will match their identities,” said Senior Superintendent Delfin Millo, Quirino police director.

Earlier, a severed arm, believed to belong to Eugenio, was recovered in a river in Santiago City.

The recovery of the body parts gave credence to the extrajudicial confession of a certain Eduardo Sapipi, who told police that one Michael Miranda disposed of the chopped remains, which were placed in two steel barrels and an ice box.

The victims’ relatives and friends earlier had offered cash rewards for information leading to the recovery of their remains.

The Puas, who were engaged in palay trading, along with Eugenio, 44, were last seen on the afternoon of Sept. 6 after collecting P1.3 million as payment for goods earlier delivered to Sapipi’s employer, Jaylord Dimal, 28, in neighboring Echague town.

Sapipi, who gave himself up to the police on Sept. 25, said he heard gunshots in Dimal’s kitchen and when Dimal asked him to go inside minutes later, he saw the victims already lifeless.  

Reportedly a scion of a rich Isabela-based palay and rice trader, Dimal, accompanied by a lawyer, turned himself over to Villaroman a day after Sapipi implicated him in the crime.

Sapipi, with the aid of a public attorney, also implicated co-worker Alvin Castillo as the one who allegedly cut up the victims’ bodies, while Miranda, said to be Dimal’s friend, looked for con­tainers for the body parts.

Besides Dimal, Sapipi, Castillo and Miranda, Villaroman said two more suspects, Arvin Guirao, 42, and Robert Baccay, 38, were charged with kidnapping and multiple murder cases before the Isabela prosecutor’s office.

Except for Miranda, all the suspects are now in police custody.