Officials of the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Friday said that a “mass grave” might have been dug at the construction site inside the DOJ compound in Manila.
Justice Assistant Secretary Jose Dominic Clavano IV made the statement after “three to five sets of skeletons were found barely on the surface.”
The remains were dug up on Nov. 24 at the ongoing excavation for the foundation for the DOJ library that will be erected.
According to Clavano, it was forensic pathologist Dr. Raquel Fortun, chairperson of the University of the Philippines (UP) Manila Department of Pathology, who came up with the “mass grave” observation.
“As per her observations, para pong mass grave ang dating (it is like a mass grave),” he said.
“We can only speculate at this point but hopefully with the report that she’s going to make, we will get a clear picture of what’s going on,” he added.
The DOJ official ssaid the human skeletal remains unearthed were turned over to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) for forensics examination.
“So, we expect a report from the NBI either today or early next week about the remains that we found,” he said.
Clavano said that Fortun advised the DOJ “not to touch the skeletal remains that we find next time.”
He said the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) engineers gave a report about the skeletal remains that were found.