• THERESA MAE DULMAN
The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) said yesterday that the families of three of the 19 individuals killed during the April 19 military operations in Toboso, Negros Occidental, have requested the exhumation of the remains of their relatives.
CHR Commissioner and Spokesperson Atty. Beda Epres identified the requests as coming from the families of Errol Wendel, Joros Caramihan, and Labskie Purisimia Enustacion.
He stated that the agency is currently awaiting clearance from the Toboso Municipal Health Office, after which a specialized team from its Forensic Division, including 2 doctors, will be deployed to conduct the procedures.
The commissioner raised concerns over the proper handling of evidence after a press conference by forensic pathologist Dr. Raquel Fortun revealed that the wrong remains had been turned over to the family of Wendel, based on the autopsy.
In a media interview, Epres disclosed that the independent, evidence-based investigation is currently 50 percent complete.
Investigators are in the process of gathering affidavits from local residents and mapping out the five-kilometer stretch from the start of the encounter until where it ended.
The agency has also reached out to both the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police.
While the Army maintains that all casualties were combatants and rights group claims 6 were civilians, Epres said that the CHR will withhold any definitive statements on whether the victims were civilians or combatants until the probe is fully concluded.
INQUIRY
Epres also disclosed that the CHR is laying the groundwork for a comprehensive public inquiry in Negros to investigate any international human rights violations stemming from consecutive armed encounters in the region.
He said that the formal inquiry is tentatively scheduled for either the last week of June or the first week of July, as the agency finalized the planning stages.
“Due to the consecutive and increasing incidents of encounters, the CHR has decided to conduct an inquiry into human rights violations, and we are planning to hold that inquiry here in Bacolod. We want to establish the root cause, whether there is injustice here in the province or if the poverty is severe,” he said.
The investigation aims to bring together all sides of the issue, including the victims, civil society organizations, non-governmental organizations, church groups, local government units, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), and the Philippine National Police.
However, Epres clarified that the opposing parties will not be placed in the same room.
To ensure safety and a structured process, the CHR plans to allot separate, dedicated days for each sector, giving victims and civil society groups their own day to testify before dedicating another day to state security forces.*
