Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 27) — Following the grim discovery of the decapitated body of a missing inmate, the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Thursday said authorities are inspecting several areas inside the national penitentiary that could possibly yield more human remains.
“Ang tingin namin diyan may dalawang mass grave pa kaming mahahanap diyan sa loob ng maximum security compound through the two septic tanks and mayroon pa kami isang ina-eye na site kung saan mayi-yield pa ang ibang human remains,” Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla told CNN Philippines’ The Source.
[Translation: We think we will still be able to see two mass graves inside the maximum security compound through the two septic tanks and we are also eyeing a site that may yield to other human remains.]
On Wednesday, Remulla confirmed that the decapitated body of 25-year-old Michael Cataroja was found, and authorities are now searching for the inmate’s head.
In a press briefing on Thursday, the secretary said he will be consulting in the coming days other people who might have internal knowledge as to what happened inside the national penitentiary.
“May mga nagpapaliwanag sa atin kung anong nangyari d’yan [There are those who told us what happened there]. It’s not very pleasant. It’s not very easy,” he said. “Subculture talaga sa loob ng maximum security ‘yung umiiral [There’s really an existing subculture inside maximum security]. It is a different kind of setup that is beyond our imagination sometimes.”
As they were looking for Cataroja’s remains, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the K9 Force of the Philippine Coast Guard also discovered chopped-up body parts hidden in a septic tank inside NBP.
Remulla said more may be discovered as the NBI continues digging through these septic tanks.
Given the long history of NBP, it will be challenging to know when and for how long these remains were kept hidden inside the tanks, the DOJ chief noted.
He said they hope to tap forensic anthropologists, but the NBI may need to slow down the search to allow the experts to establish a time capsule.
Bureau of Corrections chief Gregorio Catapang Jr. is expected to submit a report on the matter on Friday, Remulla said.
