Body found in shallow grave near site of battle in Bohol

The shallow grave where a man was buried in Barangay Lonoy Cainsican, Inabanga town, Bohol, a kilometer from Sitio Ilaya in Barangay Napo, the site of heavy gunfire between government troopers and members of the bandit group Abu Sayyaf. (Contributed photo by LEO UDTOHAN)

INABANGA, Bohol – A body was found in a shallow grave early Thursday morning in Barangay Lonoy Cainsican, at least a kilometer away from Barangay Napo here where suspected members of the bandit group Abu Sayyaf and government troopers engaged in heavy gunfight on Tuesday.

Capt. Jojo Mascariñas, spokesperson of the 302nd Brigade, said the body was discovered about 7 a.m. as troops were conducting clearing operations in Barangay Lonoy Cainsican, an adjacent village of Napo.

He said the body looked like it had been buried in the last 24 hours, shortly after the man’s death.

Mascariñas declined to say that the body belonged to an Abu Sayyaf member who died during the heavy gunfight with the joint police and military team.

He said the body was brought to a funeral home in Barangay Badiang, also in Inabanga, to start processing the identification to determine if he was part of the bandit group.

If confirmed, this would bring to six the total number of Abu Sayyaf members whom the military claimed to have killed during the gunbattle.

But some residents claimed that two of those killed – a man and his wife – were residents of the village who were killed in the crossfire.

Mascariñas said they were verifying the identity of another body on suspicion that he was Joselito Melloria, a native of Barangay Napo who was seen escorting armed men on Monday, a day before the battle.

But some residents claimed they saw Melloria borrowing a shovel, after the military declared Napo safe from the Abu Sayyaf.

Nihansa Corsino, a resident of Barangay Lonoy Cainsican, told authorities that Melloria was wounded when he knocked on his door to ask for help. He said he knew Melloria since they were neighbors.

“Please let me borrow a shovel and please feed us because we are hungry,” he quoted Melloria as saying.

He reluctantly extended assistance to Melloria because he got scared when he saw Melloria was armed.

A relative of Melloria, who asked not to be named, said the house of Corsino was near a cave owned by the family of Melloria.

“Probably, Joselito is hiding in the cave there because he knew the place,” the source said. /atm

Map of the Philippines locating Bohol island where at least 10 people were killed in clashes between security forces and suspected members of Abu Sayyaf Tuesday. Includes factfile on Abu Sayyaf group. AFP