No foul play in deaths of 2 men in Talisay, Carcar Cities

The body of a senior citizen was found outside the RTC building in Barangay Poblacion 1 in Carcar City early on Saturday morning, July 2.| Photo courtesy of Carcar Police Station

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Policemen investigators did not see any traces of foul play in the deaths of two men in the cities of Talisay and Carcar.

Early on Saturday morning, policemen in Carcar City responded to a dead person alarm outside the old Regional Trial Court (RTC) building in Barangay Poblacion 1.

According to Police Lieutenant Colonel Ardioleto Cabagnot, chief of Carcar City Police Station, they received a report on the death of Virgilio Barliso, 65, at about 5:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 2.

Cabagnot said that Barliso is a native of Barangay Can-asujan in Carcar City but he and members of his family have been sleeping on the sidewalks for a long time now since they no longer have a place to stay.

They would often sleep outside of the RTC building in Barangay Poblacion 1.

Cabagnot said that Barliso’s son, Ronald, was the one who reported his death to the police. Ronald told them that Barliso was no longer responsive when his mother Prudencia, 69, tried to wake him up early on Saturday morning.

Meanwhile, foul smell led neighbors and police to discover the body of a 58-year-old man inside his house in Sitio Mahayag in Barangay San Isidro in Talisay City at about 6 p.m. on Friday, July 1.

Police identified the victim as Leonardo Esmero.

According to neighbors, Esmero is not from their place and is living on his own.  He started to occupy his home about a month ago.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Randy Caballes, chief of Talisay City Police Station, said that when police arrived in the area, the door of Esmero’s home was padlocked from the inside.

They had to forcibly open the door with the assistance of barangay tanod, Romeo Dela Cerna.

Caballes said that James Bacus, one of the residents in the area, was the first to notice the foul smell coming from inside Esmero’s place.  He first thought that the smell was from a dead rat. But when it started to get worst, he started to search where it came from.

Bacus told the police that he tried several times to call Esmero and knock on his door, but he did not get any response.

Neighbor Jennifer Cras and village watcher Mario Saavedra also told the police that Esmero was doing a home-based job.  He also had diabetes.

According to his neighbors, they last saw Esmero alive at about 10 a.m. on June 26.

Caballes said they believe that Esmero died of natural causes since his front door remained locked and his valuables were untouched.

READ: Police: No foul play in death of man, who was found dead inside his house in Talisay

/dcb