Missing chief engineer found dead in Argao waters 

Police: No foul play in engineer's death, autopsy results show he drowned

This is Arnulfo Languido, who was identified as the dead man found floating off the waters of Argao town in southern Cebu on March 5. | Contributed photo via Paul Lauro

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Arnulfo Languido, the 51-year-old chief engineer of a tugboat, who was missing for four days was found dead floating off the waters in Barangay Taloot, Argao town in southern Cebu on Friday afternoon of March 5.

The autopsy results of Languido showed that he died of drowning and that there was no foul play in his death, said Police Corporal Ariel Conde, investigator of the case of the Argao Police Station, in a phone interview on March 6.

Conde said that the body of Languido was already in a state of decomposition when it was found.

He also said that the body was positively identified by Languido’s sister, who showed a photo of what he wore that day when he went missing, which coincided with what the body found off Talaot was also wearing.

According to the police investigation, Languido was last seen onboard the the tugboat, M/T Pullox, which was then docked at the Minglanilla Barge Port with his workmates last March 2.

But later that day, they found out that he was missing from the boat and so they informed the Coast Guard in Naga City about it.

On March 4, Tuesday, the human resource personnel and the captain informed the family of Languido in Moalboal town in southern Cebu that he was missing. 

Around 3:30 p.m. on March 5, a fisherman saw a dead man floating off the waters of Barangay Taloot which he immediately reported to the police station.

The then unidentified body was retrieved by authorities led by the policemen of the Argao Police Station and personnel from the municipal disaster risk reduction and management offices of Argao and Sibonga towns in southern Cebu.

Personnel of the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office of Argao town posted the photos of the retrieved body in Barangay Taloot on Facebook and this led to the positive identification of Languido’s sister that the body belonged to his missing brother, Arnulfo.

Aside from the sister, Languido’s workmate also identified the body as that of the missing Languido.

Conde said that there was no foul play in his death because the autopsy report showed that the main cause of Languido’s death was drowning.

Conde said that Languido was a resident of Barangay Poblacion East in Moalboal town in southern Cebu and was a chief engineer of a tugboat.

/dbs