ILOILO - Police in the southern Philippines said Thursday that the brutal murder this week of a 62-year-old Australian may have been set up by a member of his household.

Werner Holz, a former policeman believed to be from the southern Australian state of Victoria, was stabbed repeatedly at his home in Ajuy on the central island of Panay.

His 32-year-old Filipina wife was unhurt.

Three masked men forced their way into Holz's bedroom on Tuesday and stabbed him 24 times in the chest, back and neck, police Chief Superintendent Isagani Cuevas told AFP.

They then forced his wife, Vivian Posadas-Holz, to open a safe from which they took 1.2 million pesos (25,640 dollars) in cash and jewelry.

Cuevas said somebody from Holz's household may have tipped off the suspects about the victim's movements and on possible points of entry into the house.

"Based on our investigation, the suspects entered the house through the emergency exit in the bathroom of the master bedroom. Apparently, someone told the suspects about the emergency exit," Cuevas said.

Investigators also cited the savagery of the attack on Holz which may be a sign of a personal motive beyond robbery.

"Initially, the suspected motive was robbery but we are digging deeper into the background of the victim," said Senior Superintendent Ricardo dela Paz.

He said the victim's two dogs had apparently been fed food laced with tranquilizers to ensure they would not raise an alarm.

Cuevas said they are also looking into Holz's relationship with his wife and her relatives in Ajuy.

"We have gathered information that the Holz couple are always arguing. Holz also regained control of their business from Vivian," he said.

Holz and his wife had been living in Ajuy for 10 years and were engaged in money-lending, pig farming and trading.