Rights group finds burnt human bones in Bataan

MANILA, Philippines - Anthropology experts on Tuesday said that their team scouring the site of a former camp used by the 24th Infantry Battalion in Barangay Bliss, Limay, Bataan, was able to find pieces of burnt human bones. The team was in Bataan to help the the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights, human rights group Karapatan and the Commission on Human Rights verify the allegations of former military captive Raymond and Reynaldo Manalo who witnessed some of the killings in the area. The fact-finding mission and excavation to Bataan was conducted to search for evidence regarding missing activists and victims of extra-judicial killings. The Manalo brothers had escaped their military abductors after 18 months of detention and torture. In his testimony, Raymond Manalo said he last saw missing UP students Sherlyn Cadapan, Karen Empeño and farmer Manuel Merino in the said army detachment. On Tuesday, a text message from Karapatan said the bones were found at the site where Manalo said he saw farmer Merino being burned by soldiers sometime in June 2007. Dr. Francisco Datar, head of the team of the anthropology experts from the University of the Philippines, said they are certain that the remains found were small pieces human bones. These pieces of bones will be brought to the laboratory for further verification, the message said. CHR Chairperson Leila de Lima and officials of the CHR Region 3 were on the site to oversee the excavation. The excavation was conducted after the Supreme Court upheld a Court of Appeals (CA) decision granting the privilege of the writ of amparo to the two survivor-witnesses Manalo brothers. Karapatan's Marie Hilao Enriquez said the excavation was conducted in search of evidence that could further corroborate the credible testimony of Manalo and help trace victims of extrajudicial killings. Impeachment complaint The case of the missing activists have been included in the latest impeachment complaint against President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. The complainants in the 97-page impeachment complaint filed Monday at the House of Representatives said that Arroyo "committed culpable violations of the Consitution, betrayal of public trust and other high crimes." They also accused her of "explicitly and implicitly conspiring, directing. abetting and tolerating with impunity as a state policy extrajudicial executions, involuntary disappearances, torture, massacre, illegal arrest and arbitrary detention, forced dislocation of communities and other gross and systematic violations of civil and political rights and engaging in a systematic campaign to cover up or whitewash these crime by suppressing and obliterating the evidence , blamingthe victims, terrorizing, intimidating and physically attacking witnesses, their relatives, lawyers and supporters and human rights workers." Mothers of the two University of the Philippines missing activists Erlinda Cadapan and Concepcion Empeño, were among the signatories of fourth impeachment complaint filed against Mrs Arroyo for her betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the Constitution, bribery, graft and corruption and other high crimes. Other complainants were Jose De Venecia III, Editha Burgos Rolex Suplico, Josefina Lichauco, Harry Roque, Renato Constantino, Jr., Henri Kahn, Francisco Alcuaz, Rez Cortez, Virgilio Eustaquio, Jose Luis Alcuaz, Leah Navarro, Danilo Ramos of Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas, Elmer Labog of the Kilusang Mayo Uno, Armando Albarillo, Roneo Clamor, and Bebu Bulchand.- GMANews.TV