By Froilan Gallardo
Special Correspondent

THE remains of slain rebel Jorge Madlos aka “Ka Oris” have been cremated Tuesday afternoon after his reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction swab tested positive of Covid-19, the military said.

Fourth Infantry Division commander Major Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. said the Impasug-ong town Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) brought the body of Madlos from Sitio Gabunan, Barangay Dumalaguing in that town to the Divine Shepherd Crematorium in Cagayan de Oro.

“The IATF took over the disposal of the remains after his (Madlos) RT-PCR tests turned out to be positive,” Brawner said.

He said a military chaplain, Fr. Dionisio Acaso, blessed the ashes of the cremated remains of Madlos before the urn was brought back to Impasug-ong town.

Brawner said it would be up to the Impasug-ong IATF to decide whom the urn should be given.

It was learned that Madlos’ young brother, Rito, is now traveling to Impasug-ong from Cagayan de Oro to collect the ashes.

Police Major Gen. Albert Ignatius Ferro, chief of the National Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, said the Philippine National Police will allow the family of Madlos to retrieve the urn of ashes.

“It is the right of the family to get the cremains,” Ferro said.

He said the guidelines of the national IATF on disposing or managing the remains of Covid-19 patients will be followed in the case of Madlos.

“The Army will turn over the ashes to the local IATF who will give it to the family,” Ferro said.

Explosions rocked the town of Impasug-ong town Tuesday night as Philippine Air Force F50 jets bombed the remaining rebels hiding in the hinterland village of Sitio Gabunan.

“Please pray for Sitio Gabunan,” wrote one netizen on her Facebook wall.

Many netizens also wrote that they stayed awake Tuesday night listening to the planes that flew so low that the deafening roars rocked their houses.

403rd Army Brigade Brig. Gen. Ferdinand Barandon said there is still an ongoing military operation to flush out the remaining 30 members of the NPA band who were guarding Madlos.

Barandon said they have monitored that rebels are still in the mountains in Sitio Gabunan.