Manila: The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in the Philippines has disclosed that the alleged mastermind behind the brutal drum murder case in Binondo is not a Taiwanese national, but a Chinese citizen.

According to Philippines News Agency, TECO conducted verification procedures after reports described the arrested individual as a Taiwanese national. Upon a thorough examination of the suspect's passport, TECO confirmed that it was a forged Taiwanese document. A TECO officer conducted a consular verification, during which the suspect failed to provide a valid Taiwan national identification number and admitted to being a Chinese national. The individual confessed to acquiring the fake Taiwanese passport via the Telegram application.

National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) spokesperson Maj. Hazel Asilo responded to TECO's statement by affirming that the police are continuing to verify the suspect's actual nationality. "We're having that verified. We want TECO to formally put into writing their claim that the suspect's passport was fake and to confirm that he isn't a Taiwanese national," she explained in an interview. The suspect's partner initially claimed he was Taiwanese and presented his passport to authorities.

The suspect, identified as a 32-year-old male and believed to be the mastermind behind the dismemberment of a body found in a drum in Binondo, Manila, was arrested on Thursday in Para±aque City. NCRPO chief Maj. Gen. Anthony Aberin reported that the suspect, using the alias Xiangyang, was apprehended at a hotel along Seaside Boulevard around 1:30 p.m. on Thursday.