The Woman Behind "Ang Babae sa Septic Tank"
Many Filipinos, or maybe somehow foreign-movie lovers, know the film "Ang Babae sa Septic Tank". It is an independent film back in 2011 starring Eugene Domingo.
A little background about this film. The story talks about three filmmakers who, along their journey, decide how they want their story to go that is about a mother who sold her child for money. The mother is played by Domingo but was somehow contradicted along the way because of favoring other actresses for the role. For some audiences, the kind of approach the film made in telling a story is not good. I have heard a lot of comments that it's about commentaries rather than the story itself. I have to agree with them but mainly because that is what the film is really about. Since it's about making a film within a film, it should be like that. However, as always, you can't please everyone.
The film is more on the comedy side while telling the struggles of how films were made and how people in the entertainment industry will do anything to either bag an award, just tell a story to the audience, or just make money.
However, there is a story that circulated on the internet back then that is about a woman who was found in a septic tank.
The scene reminded me of the lingering controversy surrounding Elisa Lam. If you're not knowledgeable about her, she's the woman who was discovered in a tank of water on the roof of the Cecil Hotel after concerns were raised about contaminated water. Nobody knows how or why she got in there to this day. Strange things happened previous to her being seen in that tank, adding to the horror of her account. The only distinction is that Lam's tragedy remained unknown, the matter of the lady recovered beneath a septic tank was concluded, and persons were imprisoned for the crime, contrary to popular belief.
The narrative of the woman in the septic tank was created in 2012, more than a decade ago. It is Lea Angeles-tale. Ng's
Ng is a businesswoman of Filipino and Chinese descent who was murdered by three police officers. Her corpse was discovered after she had disappeared after departing a mall in Cavite and was reported missing by her husband. Her corpse was discovered three months later in a septic tank, or more likely a bunker tank, near Laguna.
As she was a businesswoman, the main motive, or said to be one, for the killing was money. Three of the suspects include three police officers, Miranda, Signap, and Santos. One of the suspects was suspected to owe her a lot of money and took the law in his own hands. A confession was made leading to the arrest of another two policemen. One of them had a promising career which is why many people assumed that he might be innocent. Two of the three suspects were good friends with the woman so they keep denying any allegations and said that they will never be any motive for taking her life. Ng's husband made a statement to the investigators saying that if ever something happens to her (Ng), it is the suspect's fault.
Due to the statements made by witnesses, CCTV footage, the statement from the husband, and even reports of collecting debt from one of the suspects, the three, alongside two other people involved, were charged with murder.
If you want to read the whole story, the Department of Justice released a news article regarding this case:
I saw the story on Tiktok. Someone made a content about it. It is really scary that someone could do you harm because of money. That is why I am low key earning individual and I don't want to brag about my little savings.