CIDG-7 starts probe on cemetery issue in Lapu-Lapu City

Lapu-Lapu Mayor Junard “Ahong” Chan inspects the Municipal Cemetery in Barangay Gun-ob. | file photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in Central Visayas (CIDG-7) has started its investigation on the issues regarding the cemetery in Barangay Gun-ob in Lapu-Lapu City.

Read: Lapu mayor to order investigation on ‘illegal burial’ in filled up cemetery

This was confirmed by Police Major Allan Tolosa, deputy director of CIDG-7 in a text message to CDN Digital on Tuesday evening, August 4, 2020.

Tolosa said they have an update on the investigation but did not go into the details as a proper report is still being made after a meeting with the parties involved.

Tolosa said they will give an update about the investigation on Wednesday, August 5, 2020.

On Monday, August 3, Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard “Ahong” Chan, announced that the CIDG-7 will conduct a separate investigation on the irregularities on the pricey burials in the filled up Lapu-Lapu City Municipal Cemetery in Sitio Tugas of Barangay Gun-ob.

Read: More complainants against Lapu cemetery irregularities surface

It was said that there were at least 219 persons who allegedly died of COVID-19 buried in the cemetery without permission from the government.

Chan visited the cemetery last Wednesday, July 22, after receiving complaints that families were asked to pay P12,000 to P25,000 for the burial in the said cemetery, which is actually filled up already.

Other complaints include the alleged collection of fees for “lapida,” or gravestones, without actually installing one on the tombs.

Quoting the complaints, Chan said months and even years have passed since the payments were made but the niches remain to have neither a gravestone nor handwritten names on it.

The mayor, however, did not identify the persons involved in the illegal transactions at the government-owned cemetery. /bmjo