After 30 years of searching, 43-year-old Bartolome Custodio
found the remains of his father Lolieto in a shallow grave discovered on the
outskirts of this town today.
He can still recall how a group of armed rebels forcibly
took his 38-year-old father away while farming in Mag-aso village in La Paz , Leyte .
“They forcibly asked my father to go with them because the
rebels believed that he’s involved in military intelligence,” Bartolome
recalled. He was 13 when the abduction happened.
In a shallow grave in the middle of coconut and abaca
plantation, the Philippine Army and Philippine National Police formally exhumed
the skeleton with feet still tied up and skull with blindfold cloth.
Few meters away, authorities also unearthed the remains of
Necostrates Novio from San Antonio
Reynaldo recalled that his father was abducted while hiking
to a nearby village to join a fiesta celebration more than three decades ago.
“I know that remains belong to my father. It’s the same
shirt and pants he wore when I last saw him. We have been searching for him for
30 years. We even joined CAFGU (Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit) so we
could easily find him,” he told reporters.
Sr. Insp. John C. Ilao, Philippine National Police regional
medico legal officer said they will conduct an autopsy to find out the real
cause of deaths of Novio and Custodio.
“We will conduct a thorough investigation before turning
over the skeleton to the family. We will see any signs of trauma by studying
bones if it got hit by bullets or pointed objects,” the police official said.
San Vicente village believed as one of the armed rebels’
killing fields in 1980s is about 20 kilometers away from the town center,
traversing a long stretch of bumpy and hilly road.
The army held the formal exhumation in the presence of local
government officials, police scene of the crime operatives, Commission on Human
Rights, and religious sector.
Col. Dinoh Dolina, commander of Philippine Army’s 802nd
Brigade based in Ormoc
City
“We have been working with communities to help families find
the bodies of their love ones. These people need closure while those executed
should be given a decent burial,” Dolina said.
The military believed that the NPA liquidated 300
individuals in Leyte . In 2006, at least 67
remains of summary killing victims were dug up in Inopacan, Leyte .
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=728529
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