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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider Echanis family lawyer demands that funeral parlor release his body

Echanis family lawyer demands that funeral parlor release his body

Published Aug 11, 2020 02:51 pm

The legal counsel of slain National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) peace consultant Randy Echanis on Tuesday (Aug. 11) appealed to a funeral parlor to let them claim the latter's body after it was taken and brought by police there.

Randy Echanis (Photo courtesy of Anakpawis)

Lawyer Luz Perez, the legal counsel for Echanis' family, wrote Pink Petals Memorial Homes in La Loma, Quezon City a letter to "demand to release" his body to his family.

"Last night, while his family was preparing to make arrangements for his wake at St. Peter's Memorial Chapel along Commonwealth Avenue, police officers from La Loma Police Station, QCPD , forcibly seized his dead body from them," part of the letter read.

"The widow of Ka Randy protested and told them that they cannot take away his body. However, despite her protest, the police proceeded to seize the lifeless body of Ka Randy and brought it to your funeral parlor," she added.

Prior to this, Echanis' body was brought from the crime scene to Pink Petals Funeral Homes in La Loma, Quezon City by police, but his relatives eventually got custody of the body.

According to Perez, "under Article 306 of the Civil Code, the duty and the right to make arrangements for the funeral of a relative shall be in accordance with the order established for support."

She also cited the Family Code as stating that "the order shall first come from the spouse," and said "no law gives power to PNP to seize the body of a deceased, even assuming that they will do it for purposes of criminal investigation."

"The wife of Ka Randy, his family, and friends have positively identified his lifeless body. They claimed it from your funeral parlor and transferred to another of their choice. That is their right. The PNP has no right to interfere with such right!" she added.

The lawyer issued a warning that they "will file criminal and civil cases" against the funeral parlor should they do anything to Echanis' body or release it to "police or anybody else."

"Kung ang sinasabi nila ay para ito sa (If what they're saying is this is for the) conduct ng (of the) investigation, there is already an investigation going on. And we are in close coordination with the investigators in charge," Perez said to reporters in an interview.

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