Alleged Japanese found dead in Pangasinan

By Ronron
November 6, 2007

A man who looked like a Japanese national was found dead inside a hotel room in the northern Philippine province of Pangasinan on Sunday afternoon, police said Tuesday.

The police could not immediately establish the identify of the victim due to lack of identification forms, but a form he filled up at the hotel’s front desk bears the name Sei Naito. It also had a signature that appeared like Japanese characters.

According to a report of Supt. Dionicio Borromeo, chief of police of Dagupan City, the victim was found dead inside the bathroom of Room 322 of Star Plaza Hotel located along A. B. Fernandez Avenue of said city at around 12:56 pm of November 4.

Room attendant Ronaldo Clemente, 32, discovered the dead body as he was about to ask the victim if he was going to check out already or extend his stay, the report said.

The victim bore a gunshot wound near his right ear, believed to be the exit point of the bullet. The presence of gunpowder near his lips led police to suspect that the victim pointed the gun inside his mouth.

A caliber 357 revolver was discovered near the victim’s body, which was lying on the floor of the bathroom, surrounded by a pool of still quite fresh blood. The gun’s cylinder, when examined, showed two cartridges and one fired cartridge.

Borromeo said when Clemente’s calls for the victim from the outside of the room went unanswered, he decided to open the door and discovered that the knob was not locked. But when he tried to push open the door, the double lock installed inside was locked.

When the victim still refused to answer Clemente’s calls, the attendant began to feel that something was wrong so he asked assistance from his co-worker, Michael Favila, 33, the hotel’s Officer-in-Charge for Personnel, for them to gain access inside the room.

When they entered, they immediately saw the body of the victim inside the bathroom, prompting them to call for police assistance. The body wearing a pair of short pants and a shirt, police said.

A check by scene of the crime operatives inside the room showed no signs of struggle, said Borromeo. What police recovered, aside from the gun, were an empty can of San Miguel Beer Light, one unconsumed bottle of Emperador Brandy, one wallet that contained cash money amounting 3,873 pesos in different denominations.

“No valid identification card that may lead to the victim’s identity was found,” Borromeo said.


Based on the hotel records, Borromeo said the victim checked in on November 3 at 12:56 pm. The victim, who appears to be in his early 60’s, did not indicate where he came from. A review of the surveillance camera of the hotel showed the victim checked-in alone.

After checking in, he took his lunch at the restaurant on the second floor of the said hotel at around 1pm. He went back inside his room at around 1:45 pm and requested an attendant to bring his leftover food, including his coffee, to his room. This would be the last time the victim was seen alive by somebody.

PO2 Dario Legeralde, Dagupan City Police investigator, said hotel attendants and guests in the hotel did not hear a firing of a gun from the afternoon of November 3 until the morning of November 4.

He said it could be because the room is very secluded.

“It is believed that the incident is a case of suicide as there was no indication of foul play without prejudice to the result of the examination being conducted by the SOCO team,” Borromeo said in conclusion.

But Legeralde said there was no suicide note found inside the room.

Legeralde said the SOCO team has yet to say the estimated time of death of the victim. The body was already brought to the Carmona Funeral Homes in the neighboring town of Calasiao where autopsy was conducted.

Legeralde said the Japanese Embassy was already notified about the incident, but as of Tuesday afternoon, it has yet to check on the cadaver and confirm the identity of the victim./DMS