Authorities have identified the victim whose dismembered remains were found inside a plastic barrel in Binondo earlier this month, the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) confirmed.

The victim was a Chinese national, according to NCRPO spokesperson Police Major Hazel Asilo. While police have confirmed his identity through a store ID, they have declined to release his name or age pending further investigation.

“All we know about him is based on his ID from a store,” Asilo told reporters in an online interview. “That’s all we know other than his nationality and his name.”

To recall, the Manila Police District discovered the remains inside a blue plastic barrel on 15 February.

Since then, investigators have arrested two Chinese nationals, including the alleged mastermind who was captured on CCTV footage transporting the barrel at a condominium in Pasay.

Asilo said four additional Chinese nationals have been implicated in the murder. The suspects, who remain at large, were registered tenants of the condominium unit where the killing reportedly occurred.

Police believe the four missing suspects were involved in a money-changing business. Investigators are exploring a possible debt-related motive, though the specific amount of money involved has not been determined.

Passports obtained by investigators indicate that the four additional suspects entered the Philippines legally.

“Aside from that — his age and other circumstances — we still don’t have further information,” Asilo said regarding the ongoing effort to piece together the victim’s background.