NBI: Slain NPA wasn't summarily executed

The result of the autopsy conducted by the National Bureau of Investigation on the body of an NPA rebel killed during an encounter in Tabuelan last Sunday debunked allegations he was summarily executed because of the alleged torture marks on his body.

NBI medico legal officer Rene Cam yesterday said that he did not notice any torture signs on the body of Guillermo Alburo. Cam said that the suspected bruises found on his body are actually accumulated blood near the wounds coming from the internal organs that were hit by the bullets.

Cam said that the dark purple color, which was interpreted as a bruise is actually a postmortem libidity because Alburo's body is already in a state of decomposition.

Cam explained further that Alburo's body appeared in a more advanced state of decomposition than that of Jerry Badayos' because he sustained more wounds. Based on Cam's report, Alburo suffered five entrance wounds and four exit wounds in different parts of his body including his head.

"Mao ang iyang body is more prone to bacterial invasion," Cam said.

Cam said he recovered bullet fragments from the pelvic bone of Alburo while part of his brain is missing because it was shot out. According to Cam, the alleged ligature marks on the hands of Alburo are actually abrasions caused by hard contact with a blunt object, which he said is normal in an encounter.

"He was not summarily executed because the wounds are located in different parts of the body, meaning galihok siya," Cam said.

Cam added that the wounds are also suggestive that the guns used were fired from a distance. He said he is willing to furnish the Commission on Human Rights a copy of his autopsy report if they plan to conduct an investigation into allegations that Alburo could have been summarily executed.

Alburo and Badayos were killed in an encounter with the joint forces of the 78th Infantry Battalion and Tabuelan Police last Sunday morning in barangay Dalid. The NPA is reportedly preparing to launch an attack to military detachments and police stations that are perceived to be weak. - Fred P. Languido