*Note this story is in Tagalog
Case #JKGM 9888
Nanganganib ang barangay ng San Pascual kaya tumawag ang kapitan nito sa mga pulis. Isang linggo bago ang Undas nang dumating ang tawag at nagkakaroon ng mga reklamo ng bandalismo sa kalapit na sementeryo. Dalawang pulis ang ipinadala para pag-aralan ang sitwasyon.
Ayon sa kanilang imbestigasyon, mababaw lang ang bandalismong naganap. Nabungkal ang lupa ng mga puntod na humantong sa pagkaladlad ibang mga kabaong. Ang sabi ng pulis wala namang mamahaling mga bagay na nakabaon sa mga puntod. Ang mga singsing at iba pang mamahaling mga bagay ay nandoon pa rin sa mga labi ng mga yumao. Wala ng ibang kakaibang nakita ang mga pulis bukod sa mga nawawalang mga hinlalaki ng mga yumaong nakaladlad.
Iginigiit ng kapitan ng barangay sa mga pulis ang mga kaganapan sa sementeryo habang papalapit ang Undas. Pinadala ulit ang parehas na dalawang pulis para magbantay sa sementeryo buong gabi para mahuli ang gumagawa ng pambababoy.
Nagtutunggali ang pinasang pagsisiyasat ng dalawang pulis. Ang sinabi ng isa may malaking sumugod na aso sa mga pulis at kinagat ang kaniyang sapatos. Ang sinabi naman ng pangalawang pulis, nakita niya ang batang lalaking gumagawa ng bandalismo at hinabol niya ito, wala siyang malay sa malaking asong kumagat sa kaniyang kasama hanggang sa susunod na araw.
Dahil sa kakulangan ng mga pulis sa paligid, hindi nila nabantayan ang buong Undas, pero nagpapasalamat sila dahil nagtapos ito ng mapayapa. Walang bandalismong naganap at taong nabalita.
Makalipas ang ilang mga linggo, nagreklamo ang mga nagbabantay sa sementeryo dahil naganap ulit ang bandalismo sa lugar. Sinira na rin pati ang mga mosoleyo. Walang mahahalagang bagay na kinuha sa mga katawan bukod sa isiniwalat ng matandang imbestigador, sinabi niya na pinutol ang mga daliri sa paa ng mga yumao.
Ang kongklusyon ng mga inspektor ay mayroong mabangis na hayop na naghahanap ng pagkain at nagkataon lang ito sa mga katawan.
Ang ibang mga pulis, lalo na yung taong nagsabing may batang lalaki na gumagawa ng bandalismo, hindi sumang-ayon sa pagtatapos ng imbestigasyon. Hindi kayang sirain ng isang hayop ang bakal ng mosoleyo, at mayroong mga tambay na nakatira sa loob at labas ng sementeryo.
Dahil walang ebidensyang nagpapatunay sa sapantaha ng kaso, ito ay isinara. Lumipas ang ilang buwan nakakuha ulit ng tawag ang estasyon ng pulis mula sa mga nagbabantay sa sementeryo. May nagbungkal ulit ng mga puntod, pero nandoon pa rin ang mga pag-aari nila, ganoon pa man kalakip pa rin dito ang mga nawawalang daliri sa paa at mga hinlalaki ng mga yumao.
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English Version
Case #JKGM 9888
The captain of barangay San Pascual called the police in a state of distress. The call came a week before Undas and there were complaints of vandalism in the nearby cemetery. Two officers were dispatched to investigate.
Based on their reports the vandalism seemed minor. The ground around the graves was disturbed and some coffins were left exposed to the elements. The officers noted that there was nothing valuable in the graves themselves, wedding rings and other expensive objects were still with the remains. Nothing else out of the ordinary was noticed, except for a peculiar lack of thumbs on the bodies that were fully exposed.
The barangay captain insisted on a police presence in the graveyard on the days leading up to Undas. The same officers were sent to guard the graveyard during the night in the hope of catching the vandal in the act.
Conflicting reports from the two officers were submitted. One claimed that a large dog attacked the officers and nearly tore his shoe off. The other officer insisted that he saw the vandal was a young boy and gave chase, he was not aware of the attack on his comrade until the next morning.
Due to the lack of officers we are not able to spare resources to guard the whole Undas, but thankfully the holiday finished peacefully. No reports of vandals, human or otherwise were reported.
The next few weeks caretakers from the cemetery complained of the vandal becoming more bold. Even the mausoleums had been broken into. Nothing was taken from the bodies but a senior investigator noted that parts of the toes appeared to have been torn off.
The conclusion that the inspectors reached is that some sort of animal had been foraging for food and chanced upon the bodies.
Other officers, especially the one that said the vandal was a young boy, disagreed with the conclusion. An animal could not have broken through the mausoleum locks, and there were reports of vagabonds living in and around the cemetery.
With no evidence to support either theory the case was closed. Every few months the station gets calls from the caretakers about graves being dug up, but valuables still remained intact, though with each report the curious description of missing toes and thumbs is highlighted.
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*Tagalog is an Austronesian language spoken as a first language by a quarter of the population of the Philippines and as a second language by the majority. Its standardized form, officially named Filipino, is the national language of the Philippines, and is one of two official languages alongside English.
Written by Karl Gaverza
Translation by Emman Bernardino
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright © Emman Bernardino
Umangob Illustration by Erik John Paredes
Inspired by the Ifugao Umangob legends
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