Special panel formed to find missing pageant contestant, boyfriend

The PNP Tarlac Provincial Office has created a special committee on missing persons to hasten the investigation of the whereabouts of beauty pageant contestant Geneva Lopez and her Israeli boyfriend Yitshak Cohen.

The couple have been missing since June 21.

Some of their belongings were found in a burned SUV.

“It is composed of different PNP units and other agencies para mas mapabilis natin ang pag-conduct ng investigation. At least magkaroon tayo ng lateral coordinations sa mga involved PNP units,” Tarlac Provincial Director Police Colonel Miguel Guzman said in Oscar Oida's report on "24 Oras." 

(It is composed of different PNP units and other agencies to hasten the investigation. At least, there will be lateral coordinations in the involved PNP units.)

Guzman also said they are checking if the couple went out of the country. 

“Actually pina-check din natin sa Bureau of Immigration kung may flight sila. Ganun din sa seaport. Naka lumabas sila ng bansa yun din mga possible din yon,” he added. 

(We asked the BI to check if they booked flights. We also checked the records of seaports.)

The PNP urged the public to be responsible in posting information related to the case. It also reminded to be vigilant against false information.

Police are now investigating a video showing the burning vehicle.

The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) of Capas, Tarlac said a concerned citizen turned over the footage. 

“Ongoing at fully developed na yung sunog at mapapansin namin na yung location ng fully-developed na sunog e nasa bandang driver side, passenger at parang harapan, which is engine bay na halos na engulf na ng sunog 'yung sasakyan,” Fire Senior Inspector Rustico Tayag Jr., municipal fire marshall of Capas, Tarlac, said. 

(The fire was ongoing and fully developed.)

“Halos lahat itong mga debris na naisubmit namin sa national headquarters maraming papel sa bandang harapan. As per dito sa mga imbestigador natin na nakakuha parang may mga TCT at notarized documents sa mga lupa,” Tayag added. 

(There were traces of paper in the debris that we turned over to the national headquarters. As per the investigators, there were TCT and other notarized documents.)

The missing couple was last seen June 21 when they drove to the town of Capas in Tarlac, to look at property they were planning to buy. 

Their SUV was later seen burning early Saturday morning along a road in Capas with no sign of its occupants.   

According to the municipal BFP, the debris recovered from the torched vehicle tested negative for flammable substance but it doesn’t mean the car was intentionally burned. 

“Pwede pong lagyan ng mga combustible material like mga papel at ayon nga sa mga imbestigador nating bumbero ng Capas, marami silang nakitang abo doon na parang mga papel,” Fire Senior Superintendent Roberto Miranda of PD BFP Tarlac added. 

(Paper and other combustible material can be put there. Fire marshalls said there were ashes that resembled paper traces on the vehicle.) —Sundy Locus/NB, GMA Integrated News