By DIEGO C. CAGAHASTIAN
IT WAS Pampanga Governor Dennis “Delta” Pineda who broke the sad news.
"I am saddened to report that we found the bodies of our very own Geneva Lopez and her boyfriend, Yitshak Cohen at Sta. Lucia, Capas, Tarlac, after they went missing for two weeks," Pineda wrote on his Facebook page.
According to the governor, Pampanga and Tarlac policemen who have been tracking the movements of the missing couple confirmed to him that they found the bodies in a shallow pit at a quarry site in Barangay Sta. Lucia, Capas, Tarlac. They were identified by relatives based on their clothes and personal items.
The discovery of the cadavers was also announced by Interior and Local Government Secretary Benhur Abalos and Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Police General Rommel Francisco Marbil jointly.
A statement released by the DILG said Abalos and Marbil were “saddened to announce the discovery of two cadavers believed to be that of missing couple Geneva Sarita Lopez and Israeli Yitshak Cohen in Barangay Sta. Lucia, Capas, Tarlac on Saturday morning.”
The two cadavers were exhumed on a parcel of land within the quarry site.
The department added that the remains of the victims were brought to Lotus Funeral at Barangay San Vicente, Tarlac City, and will be subjected to an autopsy examination and DNA testing/analysis to confirm their identities. Later, their identifies were confirmed by relatives and representatives from the Israeli embassy who have been cooperating with the police in the investigation of the case.
Photos from Governor Pineda's post also showed a grassy field where the bodies were discovered.
"Let us pray for their souls. My condolences to their families. I will continue to assist in seeking justice for Geneva and Yitshak," Pineda wrote.
In an interview, Vice Governor Lilia “Nanay Baby” Pineda said murder and kidnapping incidents like the Geneva-Yitshak case are rare in Pampanga, which is a peaceful and progressive province. The provincial officials will help the police and the officials in Angeles City, Capas and Tarlac City in finding all those behind the crime, she said.
Lopez, a Mutya ng Pilipinas Pampanga 2024 contestant, and Cohen were last seen on June 21. The couple have been living together in Angeles City for some time, and reportedly took the trip to Capas, Tarlac on June 21 to meet with a real estate broker about a piece of land they wanted to buy in Tarlac City. They were seen riding an SUV as recorded by a security camera.
The discovery of the bodies came as the Mutya ng Pilipinas Pampanga 2024 pageant's coronation night is set to take place on Saturday.
Vehicle abandoned, burned
Geneva and Yitshak disappeared on June 21 and have been reported missing since then. Police investigators reviewed all the CCTV footage that were available showing the car and the couple. A day later, police found the SUV abandoned and burned in Barangay Cristo Rey, Capas. Inside the car that was partly consumed by fire were personal items that belonged to Geneva, such as her ATM card and an ID photo.
Some relevant facts about Barangay Cristo Rey.
Formerly known as Camp O’Donnell, Cristo Rey used to be a Naval Transmitting Facility by virtue of the 1947 Military Bases Agreement between the Philippines and the United States.
After the Mount Pinatubo eruption (June 1991), President Corazon C. Aquino issued Proclamation No. 813 that reserves portions of the Clark Air Base military reservation located in the municipality of Capas to be the resettlement site for Mt. Pinatubo eruption victims.
Thus, the O’Donnell Resettlement Site (the biggest with a maximum capacity of accommodating 13,000 families) was established and gave refuge to many evacuees and victims of the eruption from different barangays of Concepcion and Capas. The community was divided into 147 blocks representing a cluster of settlers grouped according to their place of origin.
In 2003, the provincial board of Tarlac approved the provincial ordinance creating Barangay Cristo Rey from within the O’Donnell Resettlement Area. It has become a huge community with residential houses and business establishments like the Northern Cup and the country’s largest drug reformatory, the Capas Bahay Pagbabago.
An information from an online source said Barangay Cristo Rey has the most complicated road system in the whole of Tarlac province. This may be the case if one is driving inside the confines of the rural village, with Mount Arayat in the background. But when you ride a plane, or fly a drone, you will discover (and appreciate!) that the place has an eight-sided polygon that acts like a rotunda, with a square at the middle. A complete octagonal construction of the streets, which can only be made from a completely barren piece of land like this Clark Air Base military reservation before.
Tracing their movement
But why was the SUV used by Geneva and her boyfriend Yitshak found in Barangay Cristo Rey? Perhaps the said complicated road system can offer an explanation? With such a local road network where there are large spaces without houses yet, it would be easy to bring a car, leave it there and burn it. Especially at night.
Because police found the cadavers in a quarry site in Barangay Sta. Lucia, Capas, which is west of Barangay Cristo Rey, it may be surmised that the murderers seized the couple or transferred their bodies in another vehicle in Cristo Rey before burning the SUV.
Then they proceeded to the quarry site, taking the west route of O’Donnell Road and passing Paler Field towards the area where the Bangut River joins with the bigger Tarlac River.
The perpetrators then chose a parcel of land near the quarry site where they buried the remains of the victims in a shallow grave.
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