Jamaine Punzalan

Article (news)

Bea Cuadra

ABS-CBN News

MANILA — In a solemn ritual of remembrance at the La Loma Catholic Cemetery on Thursday, the ashes of two alleged victims of extrajudicial killings (EJK) were laid to rest at the &quot;Dambana ng Paghilom.&quot;While two urns were permanently inurned at the shrine, two others were turned over to their respective families to allow for a period of private grieving before their final interment.Fr. Flavie Villanueva, SVD, the lead advocate of the program, explained that the process was designed to restore the sanctity of life that was stripped away by violence. Under &quot;Project Arise,&quot; remains are exhumed from public graves, autopsied by forensic pathologist Dr. Raquel Fortun, and subsequently cremated.“Itong po nangyari ngayong araw ay parte ng program paghilom na pag-alaga ng may dangal sa mga biktima, particular paglalagak o inurnment kung tawagin,” Villanueva said.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&amp;href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Freel%2F977416351327267%2F&amp;show_text=false&amp;width=560&amp;t=0" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe>The priest noted that returning the ashes to families for a month before inurnment is a vital part of the psychological recovery for the survivors. </div>He recalled that at the time of the killings, families were often too paralyzed by fear and poverty to mourn properly.“Alam naman natin nung sila ay naglalamay, imposible at ang hirap maglamay. Nandun yung death threat, nandun umaaligid yung pumatay, nandun yung kakulangan ng pera at salapi, nandoon din yung mabigat na trauma ng pagkawala,” Villanueva said.Beyond the emotional toll, the program addresses the practical struggle of the urban poor. Without this intervention, many remains would have been relegated to common graves due to the families&#x27; inability to pay for cemetery lease renewals.“Alalahanin natin ang nawala ay breadwinner, so nawawalan sila ng kakayanan, kapasidad na maglibing katulad nung normal na paglilibing. Kung hindi natin to in-exhume, ito ay malamang na itapon sa tinatawag nating common graves. So nawalan ka na ng mahal sa buhay, tapos ilalagay pa sa common grave, sobra naman pamamalupit yun,” Villanueva added.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17775131754011777513172763.png" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>ABS-CBN News</div>For Yolanda Sintorias, the turnover of her son’s ashes was a moment of profound relief. She said her son was killed on July 8, 2016, barely a week after former President Rodrigo Duterte took office.“Noong umupo po si Duterte ng June 30, 2016, pagka-July 8 po siya pinatay, 2016. Eight days lang po ang pagitan ng pag-upo ni Duterte pinatay po siya,” Sintorias said.She expressed gratitude that her son now has a permanent home, freeing her from the financial burden of renewing his grave every five years. “Sinisikap ko po na bago man ako mawala sa mundo, mailagak ko na siya rito kasi &#x27;yung mga naiwan &#x27;yung mga kapatid, hindi ko naman sigurado na magampanan nila &#x27;yung ginagawa ko sa kaniya,” she added.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17775132101211777513208062.png" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>ABS-CBN News</div>Another relative, Shirley Fernandez, saw the inurnment of her nephew as a step toward spiritual peace. She remains hopeful that the forensic findings from the autopsy will eventually support their quest for legal accountability.“Masaya po kami kasi kahit papaano nasa tamang libingan na siya at napatahimik na rin siya, at magkaroon na rin siya ng mapayapang buhay,” Fernandez said. “Sana tuloy-tuloy pa rin ang aming panalangin na magkaroon kami ng katarungan para sa pagkamatay ng aming kamag-anak na mahihirap,” she added.The ceremony comes on the heels of the confirmation of  charges against Durte at the International Criminal Court (ICC), paving the way for his trial. Noting the progress of the ICC case, Villanueva said, “Siguro napapanahon na dapat i-inurn na yung mga kabaliwan, i-inurn na, ilibing na lahat ng kasinungalingan. Pahintulutan nating mabuhay at mamalagi sa piling natin yung katotohanan at katarungan.”

In a solemn ritual of remembrance at the La Loma Catholic Cemetery on Thursday, the ashes of two alleged victims of extrajudicial killings (EJK) were laid to rest at the "Dambana ng Paghilom."

In a solemn ritual of remembrance at the La Loma Catholic Cemetery on Thursday, the ashes of two alleged victims of extrajudicial killings (EJK) were laid to rest at the "Dambana ng Paghilom."

Grieving families find permanent sanctuary for remains of alleged drug war victims at Dambana ng Paghilom

News

Entertainment

Lifestyle

Sports

Metro.Style

More

Sudoku

Word of the Day

Lotto

Horoscope

Nation

Grieving families find permanent sanctuary for remains of alleged drug war victims at Dambana ng Paghilom

Bea Cuadra,

ABS-CBN News

Published April 30, 2026 09:40 AM PHT

Read More:

Dambana ng paghilom

EJK

Caloocan City

drug war

war on drugs

Duterte

Rodrigo Duterte

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.