A chopped body was uncovered inside a septic tank at a dormitory within the New Bilibid Prison (NBP), as confirmed by NBP Acting Superintendent Sr. Insp. Angelina Bautista on Wednesday.
While authorities have yet to establish a positive identification, they are currently focusing on determining whether the body belongs to the missing inmate or Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDL) named Michael Angelo Cataroja.
Notably, they have been cross-referencing the list of missing inmates dating back to 2019 to aid in this process.
“It has not yet been identified if this is the one that is missing,” shared Bautista in an interview with DZBB.
The urgency to ascertain the identity of the victim has led authorities to search for potential strands or other body parts that could be utilized for identification purposes.
Cataroja holds the unfortunate distinction of being the first PDL to go missing during the tenure of Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief Gregorio Catapang, as highlighted by Bautista.
She also emphasized the challenge of dealing with missing PDLs, as it remains uncertain whether they escaped or encountered other unfortunate circumstances.
Last week, the BuCor sought the aid of the Philippine Coast Guard to launch a search operation for Cataroja.
Over the course of July 20 to 25, meticulous investigation efforts culminated in the examination of a ten-acre area, divided into four quadrants. The discovery took place within two distinguished areas, one of which pinpointed the septic tank as the grim location of the dismembered remains.
