Marikina map. INQUIRER FILES
MANILA, Philippines — Marikina City Mayor Marcelino Teodoro revealed Friday that a syndicate may be behind the illegal exhumation of remains in the Barangka Public Cemetery.
In a radio interview, Teodoro said that the cemetery’s administrator and several private individuals were conspiring to dig up the remains.
“It seems that a syndicate did it, where the tombs that are left vacant are being sold. There is a modus,” Teodoro said in Filipino during an interview over Radyo 630.
The Barangka Public Cemetery earlier said that 800 sacks of human remains were exhumed and still unclaimed. The remains were reportedly exhumed after exceeding the five-year “rental period” set by the local government of Marikina.
READ: 800 sacks of human remains exhumed at Marikina public cemetery
But for Teodoro, the unburying was wrong as it violated the Philippines’ Sanitation Code.
Teodoro also said he was worried that the alleged syndicate’s modus operandi is not an isolated incident, as many people have also reportedly brought up the issue of unlawful exhumation of remains in their respective jurisdictions.
“Under the Sanitation Code, there is a provision that says one cannot move or dig up a body if it’s been buried for at least three years. So there is definitely a violation of the penal provision of the Sanitation Code,” the mayor said in mixed Filipino and English.
READ: Marikina hits exhumation of remains in public cemetery; raps to be filed
Teodoro said charges have already been filed against erring individuals involved, but he did not disclose their names during the interview.
“We filed charges yesterday morning against six individuals, including the administrator of the cemetery because we saw a connivance. The five are private individuals, so we really saw that this was not done by just one person; it was planned,” the mayor said in Filipino, pointing out that, “In the past two months, these remains were not there.”
“It looks like they really did it [in time for Undas],” he added.
Teodoro said the Marikina City government has notified families whose loved ones’ remains were illegally exhumed. He also said the local government is willing to offer free burial and cremation for the remains.
Meanwhile, the illegal exhumations prompted former Interior Sec. Benhur Abalos Jr. to urge local government units to strictly regulate exhumations.
Abalos said unauthorized exhumations can “undermine the dignity of the deceased and their families.”
“Kung buhay nga na tao ay dapat nating pakitaan ng respeto, eh paano pa ang mga namatay na? Every individual deserves a final resting place that is honored and protected,” Abalos said.
(If it’s a living person, we should show respect, but what about the dead? Every individual deserves a final resting place that is honored and protected.)
According to Abalos, clearer regulations governing exhumations in Marikina and other LGUs nationwide should be established, including an ossuary where bones of the deceased can be placed should they exceed the set 5-year rental period under Marikina’s city ordinance.
Abalos said local governments should work closely with the Department of Health, as well as other relevant agencies in creating a framework that would ensure that exhumations are carried out both legally and ethically.