AFP looking for another alleged mass grave in Leyte

By Ronron
March 19, 2007

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Monday said its troops in Leyte province are looking for another mass grave in Inopacan town where a similar site was discovered in August last year that led to the filing of multiple murder case against Bayan Muna Representative Satur Ocampo, and over 50 other personalities from the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).

AFP Public Information Officer Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro said the witnesses who led to the “Garden” mass grave site at Sitio Sapang Dako, Barangay Kaulisihan in August last year have confided to local authorities in Inopacan about the existence of another site.

“There are still some areas that were mentioned by the witnesses that are also mass graves. So these are being traced now. There is an effort to locate these other areas which they say have mass graves almost the same size as the first one,” Bacarro told Camp Aguinaldo reporters in Filipino by phone.

And, he said, the witnesses claimed that Ocampo also ordered the purging of the victims who were buried in these alleged new sites.

But until the remains from these alleged new grave sites are found, the military can not definitely say if Ocampo is liable for another set of murder charges.

“We will check later, if, for example, the witnesses who came out today will be able to identify the new remains, and then say that their killing was ordered by Rep. Satur Ocampo. It is only then we can file another case,” Bacarro said.

At least 67 skeletal remains were found at the “Garden” on August 26, 2007 by the military, local government officials, and the Philippine National Police (PNP). The military estimates that between 100 to 400 bodies were buried in the area, as claimed by witnesses.

The identification of 15 of the exhumed remains resulted in the filing of case against Ocampo, CPP founding chairman Jose Maria Sison, and other CPP personalities.

On Friday, Ocampo was arrested in Manila City after filing a petition at the Supreme Court for the nullification of the arrest warrant issued against him by a Leyte court in relation to said case.

Ocampo claims the case was just a rehash and is meant to persecute him and all Left-leaning organizations. He said the military and the government, particularly National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales, is using the case against him to cover up for the political killings being blamed to the AFP and Malacañang.

But Maj. Gen. Rodrigo Maclang, the commander of the 8th Infantry Division based in Samar at the time the “Garden” was discovered, said the location of the grave site is enough proof that the exhumed skeletons could not have been planted.

“It’s about 1,000 feet above sea level and the reporters who joined CS AFP (Esperon) saw for themselves how difficult the terrain was. So my response to Satur: Get Real! He should face the relatives of the victims of the NPA’s barbarism,” Maclang said in a text message./DMS