Reynaldo ‘Kulot’ de Guzman finally buried

MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – The boy believed to be Reynaldo “Kulot” de Guzman was finally buried by his parents on Wednesday morning, September 13, at Barracks Cemetery in Pasig City.

The burial pushed through despite claims by the Philippine National Police (PNP) that a test they conducted showed that De Guzman’s DNA did not match that of his parents’. The PNP requested on Tuesday, September 12, that the body of the boy be returned to Gapan City police and that De Guzman be declared still missing.

The boy’s parents, Eddie and Lina Gabriel, however, insisted that this was the body of their 14-year-old son, who according to initial police reports, had 30 stab wounds. 

A local resident in Barangay San Roque, Gapan City in Nueva Ecija, had found the boy floating in a creek face down, his head wrapped in plastic and packing tape, his body full of wounds, and his leg wrapped with a sack. Residents said he smelled like gas.

De Guzman, a Grade 5 student of Maybunga Elementary School in Pasig City, was last seen with slain teenager Carl Angelo Arnaiz, who was shot dead by Caloocan City police after he allegedly robbed a taxi driver.

On Wednesday, before De Guzman was buried, his father Eddie said he could not mistake his son for another boy as he raised him since birth. 

“Anak ko talaga ‘yan, hindi ako puwedeng magkamali kasi ako ang nagpalaki diyan. Nandiyan lahat ng palatandaan,” he said. (He is really my son, I cannot be wrong because I raised him myself. All things prove it is him.)  

Lina reiterated her husband’s statement and insisted that no one could take their boy from them. 

“Anak talaga namin ‘yan, amin talaga ‘yan. Dugo’t laman namin ang nandiyan. Ako ang nagluwal diyan. Ako ang nagpalaki diyan,” she added. (He is truly my son. My own flesh and blood. I gave birth to him. I raised him.)

“Kahit anong mangyari, ipaglalaban namin, anak namin ‘yan.” (Whatever happens, we will fight for him. He is our son.)

In the burial mass before the funeral, Eddie also thanked those who supported and helped his family during their search for the boy, and during the wake.

He thanked President Rodrigo Duterte, Gapan City Mayor Emerson Pascual, the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption, the Department of Justice, and members of the media.

“Ang tanging hiling ko lang po ngayon ay mabigyan ng katarungan ang pagkamatay ng anak ko,” he said. (My only request now is that justice be served for my son’s death.) – Rappler.com