Remains of RGA victim exhumed in Pampanga

BAGUIO CITY — The skeletal remains of a man authorities believe was a summary execution victim of the Rebolusyonaryong Gerilyang Arayat (RGA), a breakaway communist group, were exhumed in Arayat, Pam—panga last Friday, the Northern Luzon Command said.

Both hands of the still unidentified victim were tied. A brown scapular hang around his neck, and he was wearing a white underwear and denim short pants, Maj. Gen. Romeo Dominguez, Nolcom, chief said.

Dominguez said villagers tipped off authorities about the "killing fields" in their community.

"The RGA is behind the disappearance and summary killings of several people who had earned its ire for not yielding to its extortion demands and other impositions," he said.

The military claimed that a barangay official in Arayat town was "orchestrating" the rebels’ actions. He is said to be facing multiple murder charges in court.

Last Feb. 8, the decomposing body of Bernardo Dizon, an employee of the National Irrigation Administration, was found by soldiers and policemen at the foot of Mt. Arayat. — Artemio Dumlao, Benjie Villa and James Mananghaya