Benguet town yields more bodies; residents alarmed

Four more corpses had been found strewn across Tuba town in Benguet since January 31 this year, months after eight bodies were recovered from a mass grave along Marcos Highway last October.

The body of a 75-year-old woman believed to have fallen into a ravine beside Kennon Road was recovered on January 31, according to a Balitanghali report by John Consulta on Wednesday.

On February 5, a woman whose body had neither wounds nor bruises was found in the same area. Authorities are still determining the cause of her death.

On February 11, police recovered a body covered in gunshot wounds and already in the “late stage of decomposition.”

The police believe the victim, identified by relatives as Christian Sadik del Prado Alvar, was pushed into the 15 to 45-foot-deep ravine and may have remained there from two weeks to one month before his corpse was recovered.

“Kung makikita mo ang bangkay, nag-decompose na 'yung ulo nito. Through the tattoos na magkabila at saka dito sa likod at pustiso, nalaman ng mga relatives na siya ‘yun,” Tuba Police chief Police Major Dominador de Guzman said.

Tuba Police later learned that Alvar had 11 different cases including murder and carnapping filed against him.

The fourth body was recovered on February 12 in Barangay San Pascual. Police said the victim was shot dead and dropped into the canyon beside the road.

The rising number of bodies being unearthed by authorities has sent chills throughout Tuba.

“Nababahala kami sa sunod-sunod na nangyayari dito sa amin. Pati ‘yung mga tanod namin dahil sunod-sunod ‘yung dalawang tao na naibasura po sa amin,” Barangay Camp Three Captain Dalmaia Dino said.

Tuba Mayor Clarita Sal-Ongan said they have installed more street lamps in the area where the mass grave was discovered last year. However, they are unable to build fences and install CCTV cameras due to budget constraints.

She called on the Department of Public Works and Highways to install cameras since it is “part of their development [on] Marcos Highway or Kennon Road.”

“I already talked with the Philippine National Police,” she added. “Mag-monitor naman kayo. Mag-patrol naman kayo kasi we have to maintain peace and order." —Julia Mari Ornedo/KBK, GMA News