Murdered architect in Davao City was also raped, says police

DAVAO ORIENTAL, Philippines – The Philippine National Police in the Davao Region confirmed on Friday, May 19, that the murdered 28-year-old architect in Davao City, Vlanche Marie Bragas, was also sexually assaulted.

“Based on the result of an autopsy, yes it is confirmed that the victim (Bragas) was being raped,” PNP Davao Region Spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Eudisan Gultiano told Rappler in an interview Friday.

But Gultiano refused to give further details on the police investigation in the high-profile murder of an architect in Davao City, a place dubbed as the “most peaceful city in the Philippines.”

Davao City boasts of its low crime rate as it coined its official slogan as “Life is Here.”

Gultiano said the PNP regional director in Davao, Brigadier General Alden Delvo, has ordered the creation of a special investigation task group (SITG) that would focus on the rape-slay of Bragas.

Bragas was found dead on May 17 in an open canal in Barangay Dacudao, Calinan District.

Residents who discovered Bragas’ body said she was half naked with her pants and underwear removed.

According to family members, she was on her way home from work when her assailants attacked her.

In a press briefing in Davao City on Thursday, Delvo asked the shocked Davao City residents to give police investigators time to resolve the high-profile murder of Bragas.

The Davao City police office said they have put up hotline number for the capture of Bragas’ killer.

The United Architects of the Philippines has also condemned the brutal killing of its colleague and called on the government to capture Bragas’ killer.