MANILA — Questions were raised over the Armed Forces of the Philippines' (AFP) decision to cremate the body of New People's Army (NPA) leader Jorge "Ka Oris" Madlos as the circumstances surrounding his death remain disputed.

The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), the political arm of NPA, accused state forces of "trying to get away with murder... by unilaterally having Ka Oris' remains cremated."

"They are trying to get away with murder by burning all evidence, when they had Ka Oris' remains cremated with dispatch... They did not even have the human decency to wait for the family to view his remains for the last time," CPP spokesman Marco Valbuena said in a statement.

"This further reinforces our view that the AFP is covering up their crime," he added.

The CPP had earlier said they want an independent autopsy on Madlos' body to determine the real cause of his death.

The AFP said Madlos was killed in an armed encounter in Bukidnon over the weekend, but the CPP claimed he was in transit for a medical treatment when supposedly ambushed by the military.

• 'Fake clash': Communist party says NPA's Ka Oris was 'ambushed'

WHY CREMATE?

Maj. Francisco Garello, spokesman of the Philippine Army's 4th Infantry Division, told ABS-CBN News it was the IATF that decided to cremate Madlos' remains after he turned out positive for COVID-19.

• Ka Oris nagpositibo sa COVID-19; mga labi na-cremate na

"IATF decision po. Nasa protocol po yung disposal ng COVID-19 positive na mga cadavers," Garello said.

But CPP's Valbuena countered this, saying "COVID protocols of the DOH do not provide cremation as the only option for disposing of remains."

IATF guidelines has consistently referred to deceased COVID-19 positive individuals as "cremains," indicating that only those who died from the respiratory disease must be cremated.

ABS-CBN News sought clarification from IATF member Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles but he has yet to respond.

Forensic pathologist Raquel Fortun also reacted to the military's decision to cremate Madlos' remains pending calls for independent investigation.

"How convenient! #HTGAWM (how to get away with murder)... Doesn’t anybody get sued for obstruction of justice in the Philippines?" she said on Twitter.

The military considered Madlos' death as a blow within the communist movement.

The armed conflict between the communist fighters and the Philippine government has been on going for over five decades now, considered one of the longest armed insurgencies in the world.

The Duterte government has terminated all peace negotiations with the communist fighters and instead created a task force in a bid to quash the insurgency.

The government designated the CPP and NPA as "terrorists."

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