Bodies of 4 'Bloody Sunday' fatalities being held in Antipolo on police's orders —Karapatan

The remains of four of the nine people killed in bloody police operations in Calabarzon over the weekend are still being held at an Antipolo mortuary on the orders of police, rights group Karapatan said Thursday.

According to an Unang Balita report by Bam Alegre, the relatives of Melvin Dasigao, Mark Lee Bacasno, Randy Dela Cruz, and Puroy Dela Cruz spent the night outside the mortuary after they were prevented from bringing home their loved ones’ remains.

“Bayad na po lahat ng fees, kumpleto na po lahat ng fees, bayad na namin. Tapos na-process na po lahat ng dokumento, may resibo na nga po’t lahat-lahat,” Mark Hizon of Karapatan Southern Tagalog said.

(All the fees have been paid for, all the documents processed, and we have receipts and all.)

“Ngayon po, may dumating na mga kapulisan dito. Ang binabanggit nila, si mayor daw ng Tanay, gusto raw siya ‘yung magbayad no’ng fees tapos sila ‘yung mag-ayos ng punerarya tapos maghahatid sa lugar kung san ibuburol. Ang nangyari po, tumagal po ‘yung naging proseso, na-delay nang na-delay,” he added.

(Then the police came and they said the mayor of Tanay wants to pay the fees, deal with the funeral home and bring the bodies to the place of wake. This caused delay in the process.)

The local government of Tanay has not yet issued a statement on the matter.

GMA News Online has also sought the Philippine National Police (PNP) for comment but it has yet to respond as of posting time.

Nine people were killed and six others were arrested in simultaneous police operations on Sunday that have been roundly condemned by human rights groups. 

Police claimed that the nine slain individuals had communist links but militant group Bayan said the fatalities were legal activists. 

The PNP dared relatives of the slain individuals to file a case against law enforcers amid claims of summary execution. -- Julia Mari T. Ornedo/KBK, GMA News