Kieth Absalon, cousin suffered gunshot wounds, autopsy shows

The Absalon cousins—Far Eastern University football player Kieth and labor leader Nolven—also suffered gunshot wounds apart from landmine injuries, an autopsy report by the Masbate City Health Office showed.

According to Glen Juego's report on Super Radyo DZBB, report showed that Nolven had a gunshot wound on his right shoulder as well as his left lateral thigh.

Kieth had a gunshot wound on his right eye.

Both victims also died of hemorrhagic shock secondary to the gunshot wounds and blast injuries from the landmine explosion.

Communist rebels previously expressed remorse over the incident saying that their parties will take full responsibility and launch an independent investigation into the killing.

NDF asserts duty to probe death

The National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) condoled with the families of the victims and asserted its duty to investigate the incident under the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights  and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL), an earlier agreement between the government and the communist group.

"Under the CARHRIHL, in conformity with their respective separate duties and responsibilities, the NDFP has sole jurisdiction over complaints against units and personnel of the New People's Army (NPA), in the same way that the GRP has the sole jurisdiction over complaints against its own armed units and personnel," the NDFP said in a statement posted on the Facebook page of Jose Maria Sison, exiled founder of the Communist Party of the Philippines.

The group vowed to "fully and completely establish the facts and prepare  any appropriate charges before any procedure to prosecute and try the case before the military court of the NPA or people's court."

"There must be no rush to judgment against the entire revolutionary mass movement and such revolutionary forces as the CPP, NPA and others. First and foremost, their  just cause  of national and social liberation is that of  the Filipino people. They draw  their  strength from the people and are necessarily opposed to any act of terrorism," NDFP said.—Consuelo Marquez/NB/LDF, GMA News