General Tomoyuki Yamashita
Larry Edward Parker, 60, believed to be from Ontario, was found dead beside his car with a gunshot wound in his head in a sand quarry in Tabun near Mabalacat in the province of Pampanga on April 20.
Mabalacat Police found over P3.5 million (C$75,000) and other personal belongings in Parker’s car and turned it over to Canadian Embassy officials. Another 800,000 pesos (C$17,000) were missing.
Yamashita’s gold is the name given to loot worth billions of dollars stolen from East and Southeast Asia by Japanese forces during World War II and supposedly hidden in the Philippines.
Many people believe the reports of hidden treasure to be an urban legend, but the theory has its supporters among some respected researchers and historians.
There are still many treasure hunters who comb the Philippine countryside in search of the treasure. It is named after General Tomoyuki Yamashita (1885–1946), who allegedly ordered its dispersal and concealment.
Most of the stolen treasure from South East Asia was first shipped to the port of Singapore, where it was then relayed to the Philippines. From the Philippines, it was intended that the treasure would be shipped to the Japanese home islands.
However, as the Pacific War progressed, Allied submarines and aircraft took a heavy toll on Japan’s shipping. The Japanese then took the treasure and hid it in caves and underground complexes throughout the Philippines, hoping to recover it after the war was over. Many years later, Filipino dictator Ferdinand Marcos claimed to have discovered the location of the treasure, and to have deposited it in secret bank accounts. These hoards are known collectively as the "Marcos gold."
This treasure lured Parker, who was temporarily residing at the Sun Garden Hotel in Tarlac City.
Police believe Parker’s murder may have involved members of a reputed local group selling fake gold bars which they claim to have found in the Mount Pinatubo volcano area.
Senior Superintendent Dindo Espina believes two men apparently belong to the so-called "Salaginto Gang," which has been operating the area for several years, claiming to have unearthed the fabled Yamashita treasure were involved in the murder.
"They present genuine gold to their prospective victims. They use gold-plated bars to lure their victims to meet with them in a remote area supposedly to show more purported gold bars. But they show up armed," Espino said.
The gang has gypped many businessmen and tourists, he said, but their victims often ask police to keep their embarrassing ordeals a secret.
The last week of April was also one of the worst weeks imaginable for foreigners visiting the Philippines, local newspapers said.
In addition to Parker, a German was killed after his throat was slashed, and an American is fighting for his life after he was repeatedly stabbed inside his hotel room.
All three violent crimes occurred in President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s home province of Pampanga.
American Gerald James Walsh, 55, was stabbed several times by still unidentified assailants while he was in his room at the Clarkton Hotel in Angeles City.
While Walsh is considered lucky to have survived the assault and is expected to identify his assailants, German national Hans Holz, 52, was not as lucky.
Suspected robbers entered his temporary residence in Villasol subdivision, and slashed Holz’s throat causing his death. His body was discovered by his unnamed live-in partner.
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