Military exhumes 13 skeletal remains in Southern Leyte believed to be victims of NPA purging

By Ronron
April 2, 2007

Police and military forces unearthed over the weekend another batch of remains of suspected purging victims of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Southern Leyte province.

Lt. Col. Mario Lacurom, commander of the Philippine Army’s 43rd Infantry Battalion which is based in said province, said in a phone interview Monday that 13 skeletal remains have so far been exhumed since Friday last week from a suspected mass grave site in Sitio Mahangin, Barangay San Antonio in Hilongos town.

The search and exhumation was still going on yesterday, with the presence of Maj. Gen. Armando Cunanan, commander of the Philippine Army’s 8th Infantry Division; Chief Supt. Eliseo dela Paz, chief of the Region VIII Police; and Brig. Gen. Allan Ragpala, chief of the Philippine Army’s 802nd Infantry Brigade.

Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) from the Region VIII police were also at the site to conduct forensic investigation.

Lacurom said they estimate a total of 26 to 28 bodies at the site as testified by former NPA members, residents in the area, and relatives of alleged purge victims.

He described the site to be as big as half the size of a basketball court.

The victims buried there were believed to be villagers of San Antonio who were abducted by communist rebels on June 12, 1985, a day before Hilongos celebrated its annual town fiesta.

“They were suspected military informants and were sentenced to death by the NPA kangaroo court,” said Lacurom.

He said the skeletal remains recovered were found with blindfolds still, while some had their skull at the feet portion. Some of them were found alone, while others were found in groups of two or three.

Asked how far is the site, Lacurom said it takes eight hours by foot to reach it from the foot of the mountain. Relative to the mass grave site in Inopacan town that was discovered last year, Lacurom said the new site can be reached by foot within one to two days.

“This means it would be impossible for the skeletons to be planted by us,” said Lacurom when told that the militant groups sympathetic to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) could accuse the military again of manufacturing evidence against former and present communist leaders and personalities, including Bayan Muna Representative Satur Ocampo.

Ocampo is under arrest for the Inopacan grave site, called The Garden, after he was implicated by witnesses of the military and police. As a member then of the CPP’s Central Committee, Ocampo allegedly ordered the killing of NPA members suspected of spying for the government in the mid-1980’s.

Asked if the militant congressman has any hand in the new grave site, Lacurom said: “As of now, that’s speculation.”

Lacurom said the search and digging at the new grave site will continue until they are satisfied to have recovered already all the suspected purge victims buried there./DMS