Families have been given a hard time in recovering the remains of those killed in an encounter between a unit of the New People’s Army, and elements of the 59th IB, at the border of barangays Dilao and Malalay, Balayan, Batangas on December 17. At the last report, six bodies were tracked down by human rights groups who conducted a fact finding mission in the area.

The families of the murdered found the bodies of their relatives simply left on the floor in the hallway of a funeral home. One of the slain was immediately buried without informing the family. The funeral home was heavily guarded by soldiers who blocked the lawyers and paralegals accompanying the families.

The groups denounced the military’s desecration of the remains of those killed, which is against international humanitarian law. They said, the 59th IB is clearly responsible for the countless human rights violations in Batangas.