Culture & Entertainment · Philippines Bureau
Families of disappeared persons mark All Souls' Day with remembrance
On All Souls' Day, relatives of the missing continue to seek answers about loved ones vanished during the Philippines' turbulent past. The commemoration underscores the enduring pain of families still waiting for justice and closure.
LSN Philippines ·
MANILA — Cresencia dela Cruz and her three children have spent more than a decade without answers about Abner Hizarsa, who disappeared on March 22, 2007, while traveling to deliver lunch to their daughter at school in Subic, Zambales. Armed men in a van abducted Hizarsa that morning, marking the last time his family saw him alive.
Hizarsa's case remains among hundreds of unresolved disappearances that have haunted the Philippines for decades. Human rights groups estimate that thousands of individuals have vanished under disputed circumstances, often amid allegations of extrajudicial killings and forced disappearances.
During All Souls' Day observances, families of the disappeared gather to remember their missing relatives and renew calls for investigations. The annual commemoration has become a focal point for activism, with relatives demanding that authorities pursue cases that have grown cold over the years.
Advocacy organizations continue pressuring the government to establish mechanisms for accountability and to provide families with definitive information about the fate of their loved ones. Many cases remain officially unsolved, leaving relatives trapped in a limbo of grief and uncertainty.