NCRPO: Binondo 'chop-chop' victim identified

Authorities have identified the victim whose dismembered body was found inside a blue plastic barrel in Binondo, Manila, the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) confirmed on Monday.

"All we know about him is based on his ID from a store. That’s all we know other than his nationality and his name," NCRPO spokesperson Police Major Hazel Asilo told reporters in an online interview.

The victim is a Chinese national, Asilo added. She, however, declined to disclose the victim's name.

"Aside from that—his age and other circumstances—we still don’t have further information," she said.

Aside from the two Chinese nationals already arrested, four more individuals, also of Chinese nationality, have been implicated in the murder case, according to the police official.

The four additional suspects, currently at large, are registered tenants of the condominium unit where the killing reportedly took place.

Police said the four were reportedly involved in a money-changing business, and authorities are investigating a possible debt-related motive, though the exact amount involved has not yet been determined.

Investigators have also obtained copies of the four suspects’ passports, which show they entered the Philippines legally, Asilo said.

The Manila Police District (MPD) said the dismembered body was discovered inside a blue plastic barrel in Binondo on February 15.

Two suspects, including the alleged mastermind who was seen in CCTV footage carrying the blue container inside a Pasay condominium, have so far been arrested.—MCG, GMA Integrated News