The skeletal remains of a missing person allegedly buried 10 years ago by Ronald Bae, the gunman in the Kawit shooting, were exhumed on Tuesday by police investigators.

Hoping to find the body of Teodulo Villanueva, members of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) and Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) dug up a portion of Bae’s lot in Barangay Tabon 1, Kawit, Cavite.

Major Reynaldo Magdaluyo, provincial CIDG chief, said that John Paul Lopez, who reportedly reloaded Bae’s gun when he went on a shooting rampage on January 4, has confessed that the gunman buried the body of Villanueva inside his vacant lot in 2003.

Lopez was transported to the scene and he pointed to the location where the victim was buried by Bae and his men.

The relatives of the victim confirmed that in 2003, Bae invited Villanueva to his house. The victim has not been seen ever since.

It was learned that Villanueva reported to the police Bae’s illegal drug transactions.

The CIDG is now investigating claims by Bae’s neighbors that there were two other missing persons in their area who might have also been buried by Bae and his men.

Magdaluyo said that once the identity of the person buried in Bae’s lot is confirmed, the police will file additional charges against Lopez because he witnessed the crime but did not report it to the police.

Lopez has been charged with seven counts of murder, 11 counts of frustrated murder, three counts of attempted murder, illegal possession of firearms and violation of the anti-drug law for apparently acting as an accomplice of Bae in the Kawit shooting incident.

Meanwhile, Magdaluyo said that the shootout between Bae and the Kawit police was a legitimate encounter.

He said that when the responding policemen arrived on the scene, they saw Bae holding a .45-caliber pistol, while Lopez was holding boxes of bullets.

Bae was asked to surrender but he fired at the lawmen. Forcing them to retaliate.

Lopez maintained that he had nothing to do with the shooting rampage.

He earlier disclosed that Bae got the .45-caliber 1911 pistol from a certain alias Wildo before going on a rampage. The bullets supposedly came from Mark Lontoc, alias Mike, reportedly a nephew of a Kawit policeman.

Magdaluyo, however, brushed off rumors of a police cover-up, stressing that Lopez’s statements should not be treated as that of a credible witness.

“Both Bae and John Paul were positive for shabu and alcohol. Hindi witness si John Paul Lopez; siya ay cohort ni Bae kaya siya ay suspect. Walang cover-up dito [John Paul Lopez is not a witness; he was a cohort of Bae, that’s why he is a suspect. There is no cover-up here],” the police officer said.

“Ang statement ni John Paul Lopez ay pabago-bago dahil sa epekto ng droga. In state of withdrawal, ‘di matinong kausap [The statements of John Paul Lopez are not consistent because of the effects of drug addiction. He is in a state of withdrawal, he cannot be converse properly],” Magdaluyo added.