Loreto mayor, son found dead by pursuing troops

Loreto Mayor Dario Otaza (Facebook)

DAVAO CITY – The operating troops of the Philippine Army’s 23rd Infantry Battalion have found the bodies of Loreto town mayor Dario Otaza and his son Daryl in the vicinity of Purok 2, Barangay Bitan-agan, Butuan City early Tuesday morning.

This was reported by the Eastern Mindanao Command (EastMinCom) intelligence office here based from the report of the 23rd IB under 2lt. Cris Sabandal.

Army reports said the bodies of Mayor Otaza and Daryl were found hogtied and bore multiple gunshot wounds in different parts of their bodies.

The bodies of Mayor Otaza and Daryl were found by the Army troops while supporting law enforcement operations.

The area was secured by the Army troops while waiting for the Philippine National Police (PNP) Scene of the Crime Operation (SOCO).

Mayor Otaza and Daryl were snatched from their home in the village of Baan, Butuan City, Agusan del Sur at about 6:50 p.m. on Monday. Otaza, himself, was a former rebel and a member of the Manobo indigenous people’s group.

Since he became mayor, Otaza is a local partner of the national government’s Serbisyo Caravan and helped facilitate the surrender of 154 NPA rebels.