Resort owner sues embassy official, 8 others for burial of skeletal remains

CEBU, Philippines - The operator of a mountain resort in San Fernando, Cebu has filed a multi-million peso damage suit against an official of the Japanese embassy in Manila and eight other Japanese members of a non-government organization over the alleged burial of skeletal remains in the resort without permission.

The skeletal remains are reportedly those of Japanese soldiers who fought during World War II.

Norma Reynaldo, proprietor of Hidden Paradise Mountain Resort, filed the P9.5-million complaint for damages against Tomochika Uyama, officer of the Japanese Embassy, and Suminori Arima, Mitsuo Watanabe, Usan Kurata, Hiyoro Tabe, Hidekazu Nishimura, Hidaya Chiba, Masako Enari and Hiroyuki Moyino, all employees of Kuentai Investigations.

Kuentai Investigations is a non-government organization based in Lapu-Lapu City.

Reynaldo alleged that sometime in July, she received a phone call from the agent of Kuentai Travel agency informing her that Japanese guests will be checking in at the resort. On July 18, the respondents arrived and checked-in at the resort.

Upon arrival, one of the Japanese guests reportedly asked a resort employee to buy firewood and to chop them into small pieces and gather them around the basketball court. The resort employee, Renifer Flores, was also reportedly instructed by the Japanese guest to dig a two-foot hole beside the basketball court.

The next day, July 20, the respondents reportedly assembled themselves very early in the morning at the basketball court and performed some sort of a ritual. The resort employees reportedly saw smoke generated by the objects the respondents were burning.

They were burning some objects as they gathered and appeared to be chanting or praying,” the complainant said.

After the ritual, the respondents again reportedly requested Flores to help them load 30 crates into a freight forwarder. The respondents subsequently checked-out of the resort.

The resort’s management later checked the area where the respondents held the supposed ritual and were surprised to see ashes and bones allegedly scattered there.

“They also saw human bones buried into the hole, which defendants asked to be dug,” the complainant said.

Reynaldo said it was only a week after the incident that she learned from a newspaper that “remains of Japanese soldiers from World War II were burned and their bones and ashes were buried” at her resort.

Reynaldo said that upon inquiry, she learned from the office of Governor Gwendolyn Garcia that on July 7, Uyama wrote a letter to the governor informing about the “Japanese Missions.”

Such mission allegedly involve the collection, examination and processing of the remains of Japanese soldiers killed during the World War II at Hidden Paradise Resort. However, the letter reportedly did not mention that the mission would also include the burning of bones and burying them at the resort.

Reynaldo alleged that the acts of the respondents did not only “violate her privacy and property rights” but is likewise an “affront to our cultural sensitivities as Filipinos.”

Reynaldo allege the resort suffered economic loses because guests that have pre-booked have reportedly backed out after learning of the incident.

Occupancy at the resort has suffered an all time low,” Reynaldo said.

Reynaldo is demanding P8 million for compensatory damages and another P1 million moral and exemplary damages. She is also demanding a reimbursement of P500,000 for litigation expenses and for attorney's fees.

The Freeman tried but failed to contact the officials of the Japanese Embassy in Manila for reaction. - Fred P. Languido/JMO   (FREEMAN NEWS)