Remains of slain family exhumed

Nine remains of family members, including children, who were believed to be killed by New People’s Army, were exhumed in sitio Mayana, barangay Gaas, Balamban yesterday.

Joint operatives from the 78th Infantry Battalion led by Lt. Col. Raymundo Bañares and Cebu Provincial Police Office headed by Senior Supt. Carmelo Valmoria, along with members of the Scene of the Crime Operations exhumed the bodies of Anugot family from the mass grave that is only about a 15-minute walk from the Cebu Transcentral Highway.

The victims were identified by their former neighbors as Mauricio Anugot, his wife Saria, their children identified only as Peng, Titing, one-year-old daughter Marlyne and their six-month old youngest child, and three other unidentified relatives.

The information about the grave was confirmed by the 78th IB unit led by 1st Lt. Ian Andres Fabellon last August 27 during their investigation in the area that is located within the farm lot of Alejandro Nebria.

The military said a certain Arsenia Labajo, 51, told them that the Anugot family was massacred last October 9, 1985 by the NPA. She said that the rebels, who were led by Commander Willy Abatayo, forcibly took her brother Venancio Labajo to guide them to the Anugots’ house.

The NPA rebels reportedly killed the people inside the house including the children and the three other visiting relatives.

But one of Anugot’s sons, Mario, who was then 22 years old, was spared because rebels were not able to see him as he was outside the house answering the call of nature.

Aside from the skeletal remains, among those found in the burial site were several clothes, blankets, jewelry, watch, amulets and other personal effects of the victims.

The family was reportedly once served as supporters of the NPA rebels by providing them food, shelter and even money as a form of revolutionary tax.

But later on, the Anugots reportedly went to the barangay hall and told Oberez about the NPAs extortion activities. Three days later the family was massacred.

Balamban Mayor Alex Binghay, who accommodated the team that conducted the exhumation in his rest house, said that when he was still the vice mayor, the military considered the area as lair of rebels.

He said he had heard of more than 100 people killed and were buried in unmarked graves in the place.

Bañares is calling residents in the area who might have information on other mass graves to report them to authorities. — Edwin Ian Melecio with reports from Guam Logroño of Banat News/WAB