Witnesses allegedly confessed to burying and burning the body of missing exec

MANILA — The Philippine National Police Anti-Kidnapping Group and the sister of a missing pharmaceutical executive on Monday filed kidnapping for ransom, murder and arson charges with the Department of Justice against 11 persons accused of being behind the disappearance of a pharmaceutical executive in July.

Fifty-year-old businessman Eduardo Tolosa was last seen on July 19, 2022 in BGC in Taguig City on board his white SUV where he supposedly received 2 luxury watches and foreign currencies worth USD 102,700, EUR 2,800 and SGD 186 from his company messenger.

He earlier requested from a company official to have these items delivered to him.

He was then seen on CCTV footage alighting with an unidentified male driver in front of a restaurant at C5-SLEX before they left going to the southbound direction, according to the transmittal letter of the complaint signed by Police Colonel Frederick Obar, chief of the PNP-AKG Luzon Field Unit.

Tolosa was never seen again but his charred SUV was later recovered in Pampanga.

An executive of Tolosa’s company meanwhile claimed she received text messages demanding a ransom of P100 million from August 26 up to September 1.

The complaint alleged 4 individuals executed extra-judicial confessions claiming that they took part in burying and burning the body of Tolosa.

“Their respective sworn statements revealed the circumstance surrounding Kidnapping for Ransom and Killing of victim Eduardo Tolosa, the names of their cohorts, the mastermind, and the place where they dumped and burned the body,” Obar said in his letter to Prosecutor General Benedicto Malcontento.

Copies of the sworn statements were not made available to the media but Harry Roque, the lawyer for the Tolosas, explained the basis for the filing of the murder complaint even when the body of Tolosa has not yet been found.

“Mayroon pong nakuhang mga testigo na pinatay nga po itong biktima sa Sto. Tomas, Batangas kung saan siya po ay nilibing noong una pero siya po ay hinukay muli at sinunog ng tatlong araw. Karumal-dumal po talaga ang krimen na ito,” he told the media shortly after the filing of the criminal raps.

“At matapos po nilang patayin ang biktima ay dinala po nila ang sasakyan sa ibang lugar at doon naman po sinunog kaya meron pong kaso din ng arson,” he added, saying whatever “remains” recovered have been sent to undergo DNA examination.

Aside from the extrajudicial confessions supposedly identifying the alleged perpetrators, one of the respondents named in the complaint was allegedly identified through the RFID application of the car that was spotted accompanying Tolosa’s SUV, which allegedly passed through an RFID tollage in Parañaque 3 times on July 19.

Tolosa’s sister, Alpha Serranilla, called on the President to help bring justice to her brother.

“He is very much loved by our family. Mabuting anak, mabuting kapatid, mabuting kaibigan sa lahat. Naging instrumento din siya ng pagtulong sa mga Pilipino during the pandemic of COVID, COVID pandemic, sa pagpapadala ng mga medical supplies to every parts of the Philippines at ito pa po ang nangyari sa kanya,” she said.

“Humihingi po ako ng tulong sa lahat ng mga mamamayang Pilipino, na tulungan kaming hanapin ang mga salarin from this person na gumawa ng krimen na ito up to the mastermind of this crime,” she added.

Roque said the primary suspect was last seen on Dinagat Island. He called on the public to provide any information through his public Facebook page.