CLAVERIA, MISAMIS ORIENTAL – The 58th Infantry Dimalulupig Battalion together with the Regional Intelligence Unit of Police Regional Office Region X retrieved the skeletal remains of an alleged government asset at Sitio Mananum, Brgy Bulahan, Claveria, Misamis Oriental, June 03, 2021.
A police asset who was a member of the CNT from the 1980s until 2009 has stated that his comrades assassinated with intent a man named Menecio Himalao as commanded by their leader in 1987 because they suspected him of being a government asset. The CNTs buried the cadaver in the hinterlands of Sitio Mananum after the crime.
Menecio was a resident of Barangay Madaging in Claveria and his family members were in great shock upon receiving this news. According to them, they have been waiting a long time for their family member to return or even just to learn whether their brother is alive or dead. The carcass had been buried since the crime in 1987, when the CNTs carried out a summary execution. At the time, he was thought to be in his mid-30s.
The brother of Menecio also expressed his gratitude to the government for facilitating the long-awaited, yet bittersweet reunification of Menecio’s remains with his family members. He also then urges those CNT members still in the hinterlands to come down and surrender in peace as he hopes for these CNT members to embrace a different life far from that of his brothers’ killers.
Lt. Col. Ricky L. Canatoy, Commanding Officer, 58IB said, “Menecio Himalao’s gruesome murder is only one example of how CNTs will go to great lengths to murder for fighting for the wrong ideology. They have been committing crimes ranging from extortion to murder for a long time, and they continue to do so now with little respect for human life.”
“I am appealing to those members of the NPA who are still hiding in Misamis Oriental’s hinterlands to come down in peace, lay down their arms, and return to the fold of the law while there is still time and opportunity. Put an end to this way of life; constant suffering in vain, with little regard for your own life or the lives of others.,” Lt. Col Canatoy ended.
