Marikina files cases over illegal exhumation of 800 remains

The Marikina City Government announced on Thursday that it would file administrative and criminal cases against those responsible for illegally exhuming approximately 800 human remains from the Barangka Municipal Cemetery.

Mayor Marcelino Teodoro revealed in a radio interview on Friday that a syndicate may be behind these unauthorized exhumations, involving the cemetery's administrator and several private individuals, who allegedly sold gravesites to non-residents of Marikina City.

Photos shared by the city showed remains placed in sacks with some skeletons exposed, reportedly from vaults where contracts had expired; the mayor emphasized that such actions violate both dignity and respect for the deceased as well as Presidential Decree No. 856 on sanitation.

An investigation is underway to hold accountable those responsible for the unauthorized transfer of remains, including six individuals already charged by Marikina City government for their involvement in the illegal exhumations.

The city government has notified families whose loved ones' remains were illegally exhumed and offered free burial and cremation services for these remains. Some families have reported being unaware that their relatives’ graves had been disturbed and questioned whether the remains found at new sites truly belong to their loved ones.

Former Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos Jr. urged local governments to strictly regulate exhumations, emphasizing that unauthorized actions undermine the dignity of the deceased and their families.