The Philippine National Police (PNP) has homed in on one spot in Ozamiz City, specifically at Barangay Capucao-C, where tipsters had indicated was a possible killing field and dumping place of persons allegedly liquidated by the powerful Parojinog clan.
The victims could be political or business rivals of the family that has lorded it over Ozamiz for more than three decades, as talk would have it around town.
At what appears to be a well that has dried up over the years, diggers manually scraped the dirt down to eight meters deep to unearth what’s believed to be fragments of bone and teeth, believed to be human remains.
Not only that, the find also included items suspected to have been used for torture: handcuffs, strings and rope and sections of barbed wire and packaging tape.
Police Chief Inspector Jovie Espenido cited preliminary information that there could be the remains of around 15 persons in just this one spot: “There was even a wallet recovered, containing identification cards.”
According to tipsters, there could be as many as three other similar places in or near the city that have served as the killing fields or dumping grounds for the summary execution victims.
Some of the pre-excavated ground could have been the remnants of gold digging or explorations that took place two decades back. Apparently no gold deposits were found, and the diggings were conveniently used as grave sites.
Benjamin Bitay, Chairman of Barangay Capucao-C, said: “We understand there would be trucks that came here, at odd hours of the night. They would back up against those diggings, near the clumps of bamboo. But it was dark … difficult to see clearly.”
The Parojinog camp kept mum about the matter, and simply said that, if there were indications of malfeasance implicating the clan, that would have to be so-called evidence that have been planted.
Boy Visitacion, Spokesman of the family, said: “Why was nothing found in the first site, and then they suddenly found something in the second? They are fond of planting. They could come up with anything anytime.”
The unearthed human remains are to be subjected to forensic examination.
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