'Cyprus police snubbed reports of Filipinas feared slain by serial killer'


ABS-CBN News
Posted at Apr 30 2019 07:36 AM | Updated as of Apr 30 2019 08:03 AM
Two girls hold placards during a public vigil in memory of the victims of a suspected serial killer, outside the Presidential Palace in Nicosia, Cyprus, April 26, 2019. Stefanos Kouratzis, Reuters
MANILA -- The Cyprus police "did not take seriously" reports of missing Filipinas who are now feared to be among the victims of a serial killer, a community leader said Tuesday, as the search for bodies continued. 
The body of a fourth victim was found Sunday stuffed in a suitcase at the bottom of a toxic man-made lake next to a disused mine southwest of the capital Nicosia, police said.
The suspect, a 35-year-old Greek Cypriot army officer, has allegedly confessed to killing 5 foreign women and 2 of their daughters in a crime spree that went undetected for nearly 3 years. 
Among the identified victims is Filipina domestic worker Mary Rose Tiburcio, said Easter Beatty, chairperson of the Federation of Filipino Organizations in Cyprus. 
Two other Filipina domestic workers and the 6-year-old daughter of one of them remain missing, Beatty said. 
Police received reports on the missing Filipinas as early as 2017 and 2018, she said. 
"The blame is with the Cyprus police dahil hindi nga nila ginawang seryoso ang reklamo ng mga nawawalang Filipinos," Beatty told radio DZMM. 
(They did not treat the reports of missing Filipinos seriously.) 
Watch more in iWant or TFC.tv
The case came to light 2 weeks ago when tourists spotted the body of Tiburcio, 38, brought to the surface of a disused mine shaft by unusually heavy rains.
That triggered a murder investigation which led to the army captain's arrest on April 18.
Days later, authorities found the body of a second woman in the shaft believed to be Arian Palanas Lozano, 28, also from the Philippines.
The suspect on Thursday showed investigators to a well near an army firing range outside the capital where police found the body of a third victim, an unidentified woman of Asian descent. 
DNA tests are still needed to confirm the "badly decomposed" bodies, said Beatty. 
Police said they expected to bring a second suitcase to shore and will also search for a third travel bag believed to be in the lake. 
LURED BY JOBS
The Filipinas may have been lured by the suspect with the promise of jobs, said Beatty. 
The suspect, she said, used a dating app to offer jobs with a pay of 25 euros per hour, much higher than the typical rate of 5 euros per hour. 
Some 1,500 people, mostly "outraged" Cypriots, joined a recent protest in front of the presidential palace to condemn the crime spree, said Beatty. 
"We're still hoping na sana nga mahanap na agad ang mga bangkay, kung sila nga iyun (if it's really them). We continue doing vigil prayers for all of them," she said of the missing Filipinas. 
With a report from Agence France-Presse 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

PCG: China’s bullying in West Philippine Sea undermines international law --- Ghio Ong - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — Letting China sustain its aggression in the West Philippine Sea would make other countries doubt the strength of international law currently being asserted by the Philippines, Commodore Jay Tarriela of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said. “Allowing China to blatantly disregard the established rules-based order threatens the very foundation that we all depend on,” he wrote in a post on X last Tuesday. He added, “If we permit this, countries worldwide may forget why this order was created in the first place. Nations could begin to doubt the significance of adhering to international law if powerful bullies can easily violate it.” Tarriela also said defiance of other countries to a rules-based order would result in the prevalence of cruelty. He wrote, “This could lead us back to a time when might makes right, undermining the global structures that keep human greed, savagery and barbarism in check. Such a scenario would not only invite challenges from aggressive ...
Read more

China ships maintain presence in key West Philippine Sea areas --- Michael Punongbayan - The Philippine Star

STAR / Michael Varcas MANILA, Philippines — While Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) have decreased in number, they have maintained a presence in three key land features where naval and coast guard ships have intensified operations in the past seven days, according to the Philippine Navy. Latest monitoring by the Philippine Navy showed armed ships of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) maintaining a menacing presence around the grounded BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal, Panatag Shoal and Escoda Shoal. According to the Philippine Navy, there are 17 Chinese military vessels and 28 China Coast Guard (CCG) boats spotted inside the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) between Sept. 23 and 30, or one vessel more than in the previous week Sept.17-23. Five of the warships were seen roaming around the vicinity of Escoda Shoal, along with 10 CCG vessels and 12 maritime militia vessels (MMVs). There are also two PLAN ships in Ayungin Shoal as well as 10 CCG boats and 12...
Read more

Social media seen as cause of rising intermarriages --- Helen Flores - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) sees social media as the main reason for the rising number of Filipinos marrying or becoming partners of foreign nationals. In 2022, the CFO recorded 6,854 marriages or partnerships with foreign nationals, a 40.1 percent increase from the 4,891 “intermarriages” recorded in 2021. “First of all, what we see in the increase in the marriage rate of Filipinos or Filipinos with foreign partners is because of social media, (that) is number one; matchings; letters, introduction of their friends,” CFO chairperson Romulo Arugay said at the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon public briefing yesterday. Arugay said the agency has been registering a high number of intermarriages since 2007, but the figures went down during the COVID-19 pandemic. From over 6,500 Filipinos who married foreign nationals, only 600 are men, he said. Most of them are married to Americans, Japanese, Germans, Canadians and Australians, Arugay said. Arugay warned Fi...
Read more