Kin urged to claim slain NPA rebel’s body in Quezon
LUCENA CITY—Mayor Carlo Eleazar of Tagkawayan, Quezon, on Monday urged the family of a slain New People’s Army (NPA) member to come forward and claim his remains, currently under the custody of the local government.
Eleazar, in a statement released by the municipal information office, said the body would be buried on Tuesday if no relatives come to retrieve it, citing embalming limitations.
Rights upheld
He assured both the family and the public that the rebel’s remains are being treated with dignity, adding, “Despite the circumstances of his death, we are ensuring that his rights as a person and as a Filipino citizen are respected.”
The body, placed in a white coffin, was lying in state at the municipal covered court.
The slain rebel, identified by the military as Sandy Broncaino, alias “Tau,” was killed in a 20-minute firefight between Army soldiers and suspected NPA fighters in Barangay Maguibuay on Aug. 1.
Broncaino was described as a high-ranking NPA cadre who served as the “political instructor” of a unit operating in the Quezon-Bicol region.
Government troops recovered three high-powered firearms left by the retreating rebels. No casualties were reported among the soldiers.
