THE three residents of Barangay Mansilingan, Bacolod City who were trapped in a 20-foot- deep hole while searching for a “treasure”, had a financier, the police said.
Chief Inspector Charles Gever, chief of Police Station 7, said Friday that a certain “Itom” had asked the 47-year-old fatality Reinhart Redondo to dig for a treasure beside the river.
They have a financier, he said.
Redondo and his son, 16, and son-in-law, 15, dug a hole beside the river at Purok Guanzon. They were all trapped inside the hole Thursday morning, but only two boys were rescued.
Both are still confined at hospital, but are now in stable condition.
Investigation showed the victims went down into the hole about 10 a.m.
They asked a six-year-old boy to keep watch outside, but when the boy did not get a response from the three, he sought help from their neighbors.
Police Station 7 Chief Inspector Charles Gever said Redondo’s family refused to cooperate in the investigation as they refused to reveal the victims’ real intention for digging the hole.
The police received reports the victims have been engaged in “treasure hunting” in the area since October last year.
Gever said the victims failed to secure a permit from the barangay for the digging. He added that they failed to secure a copy of Redondo’s death certificate after his family refused to subject his body for an autopsy.
The police investigator had earlier said that Redondo could have died due tolack of oxygen.
Gever said they could not file a case against the two minor victims, but
they are conducting further investigation to determine the identity of Redondo’s financier.