Marikina City files raps vs cemetery officers over exhumations

On October 31, Marikina City’s Local Government Unit (LGU) filed charges against Barangka Public Cemetery personnel for allegedly exhuming bodies without the necessary permits. According to Dr. Christopher N. Guevara, head of the City Epidemiology Surveillance Unit (CESU), and Rolando V. Dalusong, chief of Environmental Health and Sanitation, the charges were submitted to the Marikina City Prosecutor’s Office. The accused, including cemetery staff members, allegedly violated Section 5 of Presidential Decree 856, which prohibits unauthorized exhumations and requires respectful handling of human remains. The case arose following an investigation by the City Health Office, which found exhumed corpses in plastic bags left in open areas of the cemetery, despite prior orders from Mayor Marcelino “Marcy” Teodoro to halt grave digging during cemetery rehabilitation.