Australians killed in Philippines just days after returning home

The two Australians killed in the Philippines and a local woman were just two days away from returning home, it has been revealed.

A hotel worker discovered the victims’ bodies, with their hands and feet bound, in a room at the Lake Hotel in Tagaytay city, south of Manila, around 1:35 p.m. (3:35 p.m. AEST) on Wednesday, according to a police statement.

The Australian victim, identified as David Fisk, 57, had his throat slit with a sharp object that may have caused his death, while the two women were apparently suffocated with a pillow, Tagaytay police chief Charles Daven Capagcuan told The Associated Press. Autopsies are underway to verify those initial indications, he added.

Fisk’s common-law partner Lucita, 55, and Filipina Mary, 30, were identified as the other victims.

Fisk’s family, based in Sutherland County, New South Wales, released a statement saying they are “praying for answers and truth in this horrific case”.

“The love we have for our Father and Lucita is so dear and this situation is like living a nightmare,” the family said.

They asked that their privacy be respected.

Capagcuan said the motive for the killings was not immediately clear and added that some of the victims’ valuables, including their cellphones, were not taken by the suspect.

“We were shocked by this incident,” Tagaytay Mayor Abraham Tolentino said, apologizing to the victims’ families.

“We are very sorry for our Australian friends. We will resolve this issue as soon as possible.”

Investigators were interviewing witnesses and reviewing hotel security cameras that could help identify the suspect or suspects, Tolentino said, without elaborating.

Investigators interviewed witnesses and reviewed hotel security cameras, including footage showing a man wearing a mask and hoodie and carrying a shoulder bag who exited the victims’ room hours before their bodies were found, Capagcuan said.

A Filipino relative of the Australian woman told the AP that the Australian couple flew from Sydney to the Indonesian resort island of Bali for a vacation, then traveled to the Philippines on Monday to visit her two children from a previous marriage in the country.

The Australian couple were reportedly due to return home to Sydney on July 13.

Tagaytay, about 60 kilometers south of Manila, is popular among local and foreign tourists who flock there for its cool climate and to see one of the world’s smallest active volcanoes nestled in the middle of a lake.

Tolentino told the AP that the Australian’s remains would be returned to Sydney and the two women would be buried in the Philippines, as requested by their relatives. The government would pay for the funeral and burial of both women, he added.

A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson said it was providing consular assistance to the families of the two Australians and expressed its condolences to their families.

No further details were provided “due to our confidentiality obligations,” the spokesperson said.