By Jennifer P. Rendon
A Finnish national was found dead inside his room at the posh Puerto Real Subdivision in La Paz, Iloilo City.
Paavo Vartiainen, 68, a retired seafarer, was lying on top of his bed when found by his driver Reynaldo Trasadas at around 9:30 a.m. on July 8, 2020.
Police Major Edsel Balibadlan, La Paz police chief, said Vartiainen may have died of natural causes.
“There appeared to be no struggle. It’s as if he just died in his sleep,” Balibadlan said.
Police noted that the foreigner’s valuables appeared to be intact.
Trasadas decided to check Vartiainen after he noticed that the latter did not leave his bedroom for two days already.
The driver said he also smelled foul odor from the Finn’s room.
Trasadas said he last saw Vartiainen alive when the latter asked him to buy a new DVD player.
He allegedly sent a text message to his employer but got no reply.
Trasadas, whose been working with Vartiainen for a decade already, told police investigators he did not knock on the room or attempted to wake up his employer because the latter hated it.
The Finnish national chose to retire in Iloilo citing the dollar’s purchasing power in the Philippines.
