The Philippines' 4 Unsolved Mysteries

The Case of the "Chop Chop" Lady

On May 29, 1967, a gruesome discovery shocked the residents of Manila. The legs of a woman were found chopped into four pieces, wrapped in a newspaper, and discarded in a garbage can on Malabon Street in Sta. Cruz. The legs appeared to have been stored in a freezer as they were cold to the touch. Remarkably, the well-pedicured toes hinted at a person of wealth. The following day, the woman's torso was found on a vacant lot near the Guadalupe Bridge along Epifanio De Los Santos Avenue (EDSA). Unfortunately, her head was never recovered. An autopsy revealed that the woman was one month pregnant at the time of her death. Eventually, the police identified the body through fingerprints, which matched those of Lucila Lalu, a woman who had moved from Candaba, Pampanga to Manila in pursuit of a better life. Lucila was involved in various business ventures and had relationships with both a common-law husband and a lover. Despite initial suspicions falling on her lover, a dental student named Jose Luis Santiano confessed to the crime. However, he later retracted his statement, and the case remains unsolved officially.

The Chiong Sisters Case

On the evening of July 16, 1997, Marijoy and Jacqueline Chiong were last seen waiting for a ride at Cebu's Ayala Center. Two days later, Marijoy's body was discovered in a ravine in Carcar, Cebu, while Jacqueline remained missing. Marijoy's body showed signs of brutal assault and rape. The search for the culprits initially led investigators to prominent families in Cebu. Eventually, Francisco Juan "Paco" Larrañaga and seven others were arrested and put on trial. One of the accused confessed to the gang rape and murder, implicating the others. However, Paco maintained his innocence and presented evidence, including witnesses and photographs, that placed him in a different location during the crimes. Despite these testimonies, the court convicted the accused, sentencing them to death. Fortunately, capital punishment was abolished before their execution. Over the years, Paco's friends have continued to assert his innocence, believing that he and the others were wrongly framed by the police. Paco was later transferred to a Spanish prison to serve the remainder of his sentence, while the other accused remain incarcerated in the Philippines.

The Murder of Nida Blanca

Nida Blanca, a renowned Filipina actress, was found dead on November 7, 2001, in the back seat of her Nissan Sentra in the parking lot of Atlanta Centre in San Juan, Metro Manila. She had been beaten and stabbed 13 times. The investigation into her murder revealed a troubled marriage between Nida and her husband, Rod Strunk. They had been living separately, and Nida had expressed concerns about Rod's drug use and financial mismanagement. Nida had substantial assets, including properties worth millions of pesos, and had planned to disinherit Rod. However, if their marriage were to be annulled, Rod would receive nothing. Pedro Philip Medel, Jr., later confessed to killing Nida. According to his statement, he was approached by a man named Mike Martinez to participate in a project called the "Tantoco Project," involving intimidation. On the day of the murder, Medel met a Caucasian man named "Rad," who led him to Nida's car and asked him to wait. Rad never returned, and Medel fell asleep in the car. The case took a surprising turn with Medel's confession, but questions surrounding the true motives and perpetrators of the crime remain.