Remains of soldier, pal dug up in Quezon

The skeletal remains of an Army enlisted man and his civilian friend, who were abducted by suspected com­munist guerrillas in Quezon on May 23 last year, were exhumed in the outskirts of Mauban town the other day.

Lt. Col. Ernesto Torres Jr., Army spokesman, said the skeletal remains of Pfc. Eriberto Eclevea and his friend, Richard Cortizano, were dug up in a shallow grave in Barangay Cagsiay 3.

Elements of the Army’ 1st Infantry Battalion were able to trace the grave with the help of rebel returnees.

“This again is a clear proof of the NPA extra-judicial way of killing well-meaning people,” Torres said.

Torres said they hope that human rights groups would also take note of and report the exhumation of the skeletal remains of Eclevea and Cortizano to international human rights bodies.

“The military organization, for its part, condemns this dastardly act and will do everything within its authority to give justice to a soldier and a civilian killed by the NPAs and left to rot in an unmarked grave,” he said.