Young woman never saw mom, brod again

Marcelina Abiola was only 12 years old when, one evening in 1985, some familiar visitors dropped by for dinner — a dinner that ended with grief and much anguish.

Her father, Basilio, now deceased, was sick and she and her mother Juanita, then 40, and her elder brother Salvador, 20 at the time, entertained their 10 visitors and served them dinner.

After dinner, the Abiolas’ visitors — reportedly members of the special team of the Southern Leyte Front Committee (SLFC) of the New People’s Army (NPA) — invited her mother and brother outside for a short talk — a talk from which Marcelina’s mother and brother never returned.

Marcelina said the leaders of the party that visited her home 21 years ago were only identified by their aliases: "Ka Carpio" and "Ka Niño."

Marcelina’s neighbors in Barangay Monterico in the town of Baybay, Leyte, later told her that her mother and brother were among 14 suspected government spies who were arrested and taken to a schoolhouse in a nearby village for interrogation that night.

Now with a family of her own, Marcelina joined others whose loved ones disappeared in what may have been a communist purge 21 years ago.

She made an emotional and grieving trek through deep jungles and over rugged terrain to the ridge of Sapang Dako mountain, where the NPA killing field known as "The Garden" is located, in the hopes of finding the remains of her mother and brother.

The Garden was discovered by Army and police authorities with the help of residents from nearby towns.

Military and police personnel were digging up human remains while police forensic experts were working to identify the remains already exhumed when Marcelina reached the site of the mass grave.

She immediately proceeded to the skeletal remains lined up nearby, hoping to identify the remains of her missing mother and brother.

Marcelina was unable to identify the remains of her loved ones.

The only evidence of the brutal executions committed between 18 and 21 years ago were cracked skulls, broken bones and some gold teeth scattered among mute, towering trees and thick shrubs lining a mass grave.

"While I have long given up hope of finding them alive, all I want now is to give my mother and brother a decent burial," the teary-eyed Marcelina told The STAR in Cebuano.

She not was alone in her quest.

As word spread of the discovery of the mass grave, folk from other villages also arrived, searching for their missing loved ones. They arrived on foot, in groups or alone — all hoping to find their missing fathers, mothers, sisters and brothers among the 67 sets of skeletal remains dug up so far.

"At least we know that one of these (skeletal remains) is our father," 35-year-old Concepcion Ikot said as she tried to console herself. Ikot was just a girl when their regular rebel visitors told her they were inviting her father, Guillermo, outside their home for a brief chat.

A Catholic priest was flown in on a military helicopter on the request of searching relatives to officiate burial rites at The Garden.

Military and police officials led by Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon, Army 8th Division commander Maj. Gen. Rodrigo Maclang and Eastern Visayas police director Chief Superintendent Ely de la Paz led the lighting of candles at the mass grave.

"We are gathered today to pray for the persons buried here," the priest said as he sprinkled holy water on the exhumed remains. "Let us pray for the eternal repose of their soul, that they may rest in peace."

Leyte Gov. Carlos Jericho Petilla was also at the gravesite and witnessed the blessing of The Garden, where officials estimate that they may exhume at least 300 more victims of the alleged communist purge.

"Life is hard... but when you come up here, it is harder and this kind of purge can happen to anyone (who joins the NPA)," he said.

In making this statement, Petilla said the Leyte provincial government will cooperate fully with the military and police to help rid the province of the NPA, adding that "we will also assist the residents living around this complex."

Esperon later described the mass executions as a crime against humanity. The executions were reportedly ordered by the leadership of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), NPA and National Democratic Front (NDF) in the province.

Nestled in a mountain range located 200 kilometers from the provincial capital of Tacloban, The Garden is only accessible after several days of walking from the nearest highway. Journalists had to walk for three days to reach the mass grave.

"We will no longer leave this area. Troops will be assigned here. We will hold this " Maclang said Thursday to douse fears that the insurgents would wreak vengeance upon the local folk instrumental in the discovery of the unmarked burial ground once police and military personnel leave the place.