The local government of Marikina City has launched an investigation into allegations of unauthorized exhumation of remains at the Barangka Public Cemetery.

This comes as the local government condemned the act as disrespectful to the deceased and a violation of Presidential Decree 856, the Code on Sanitation of the Philippines.

The city government has filed charges against personnel of the Barangka Public Cemetery — including administrators, staff and undertakers — for improper handling of human remains.

Complaints were filed by Dr. Christopher Guevara, head of City Epidemiology Surveillance Unit and Rolando Dalusong, chief of Environmental Health and Sanitation against Renato Beltran; Ian Lester Beltran; Irish Santos; Rowell Ogayon; Pablo Papa; and a certain “Solayao.”

The raps were filed with the Marikina City Prosecutors’ Office, accusing the individuals of violating PD 856 by exhuming remains without a permit and failing to inter them properly.

During an investigation, authorities discovered several remains in plastic bags at the cemetery. These remains had been exhumed without permission from the City Health Office and were not buried according to the guidelines set forth by PD 856.

Marikina Mayor Marcelino Teodoro has ordered a moratorium on digging at the Barangka Cemetery, which is undergoing rehabilitation.

“We do have an existing ordinance but I issued a moratorium to stop digging,” Teodoro said. “We will hold them accountable to the law. We have charged administratively and criminally all the involved personnel of Barangka Cemetery.”

He added that they have already identified the persons behind the incident and stressed that the personnel of the public cemetery took advantage of the situation to make money.