The continued failure to return Wendel’s remains is a form of torture inflicted on the family left behind.

By Trisha Nasam
Bulatlat.com

MANILA — Calls for justice remain unanswered for the family of murdered community researcher and peasant advocate Errol Wendel.

Wendel’s remains have not yet been returned two months after the massacre on April 19 in Toboso, Negros Occidental which claimed the lives of 19 people.

At a media briefing in Quezon City on June 19, rights groups joined the family in urging government agencies to approve and expedite the exhumation of a body believed to be Wendel’s.

The appeal comes after forensic pathologist Dr. Raquel Fortun found that the remains initially turned over to Wendel’s family were not his, prompting efforts to locate his actual body.

Read: Forensic expert raises questions on Toboso killings

However, the rural health unit of Negros Island Region denied requests to exhume remains believed to be Wendel’s, saying the order should come from the Scene of the Crime Operatives – Philippine National Police (SOCO-PNP), the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), or a court, according to Defend Negros Network spokesperson Matty Miguel. 

“It is painful for us that my child has still not been returned to us, and we have not been able to give them a proper burial,” his mother Lisa said in Filipino. 

“All we want is for the body to be returned to us,” his sister added. “We’re the only family that still hasn’t been able to grieve properly because we still don’t have the body.”

After exhausting local avenues in Negros, Miguel said that they are now elevating the case to the national level in hopes of expediting the exhumation process.

She said that they are asking the NBI for assistance, citing lack of confidence in the SOCO-PNP  to whom they attribute the alleged mishandling of the victims’ remains and the delays in securing a court order.

“We’re requesting for the NBI to open a dialogue with the family and hear out our calls to have the direct order from the NBI itself for the exhumation of possibly Errol’s body in Negros,” Miguel said.

“I am appealing to Director Melvin Matibag. Sir, I hope you can help us have my child returned to us because it is very difficult for our family that we still have not been able to recover my child’s remains,” Wendel’s mother said.

Humanitarian consideration

Florence Guzon of Manindigan Negros said that Wendel’s case warrants “humanitarian consideration” under Department of Health guidelines which generally require a three-year waiting period before a body can be exhumed.

“This is a special case wherein the body of Errol was switched not because of the lapse of judgment by the family but because of the deficiencies in the handling of the bodies,” he said.

Guzon said that the mix-up could have been avoided had SOCO-PNP properly identified and documented the victims’ remains. 

On April 22, Miguel said that the funeral parlor staff refused to let the family view Wendel’s remains when they tried to claim his body. Guzon said that Wendel’s sister was shown photos of only two unclaimed bodies rather than being allowed to view all the victims’ remains to ensure a correct match.

He said that this delay in retrieving Wendel’s body has deprived the family to mourn Wendel’s death. 

“It was as if the family’s right to closure was denied, as well as their chance to see and pay their final respects to their loved one, their child, their sibling,” Guzon said.

“The family continues to bear the burden while the agencies and individuals responsible for this case remain silent and uncooperative, even though they should be held accountable,” he added.

‘Torture’ for the bereaved

Wendel’s family continues to grapple with the grief and uncertainty for two months. “We have already accepted that he is gone, that his presence is no longer with us. But must even our right as family members to see him and properly mourn over his remains be denied to us?” his sister said.

Ronnie Manalo of Tanggol Magsasaka said that the continued failure to return Wendel’s remains is a form of torture inflicted on the family left behind. 

“Depriving a family of their child’s remains is a form of torture,” he said in Filipino. “This is why we are calling not only on the Commission on Human Rights but also on President Bongbong Marcos himself to ensure the immediate return of Errol’s remains to his family.”

“We must not stop taking action until the body is recovered and returned to the family,” he said. (AMU, DAA)