Body of Kapampangan cop killed in Marawi retrieved

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – After almost four months of unsuccessful retrieval operations, the body of Kapampangan police officer Edwin Placido was finally found in Barangay West Marinaut in Marawi City.

Police Inspector Placido was the deputy chief of police of embattled Marawi City and one of two Kapampangan officers killed during the initial clash between government troops and the Maute rebel group in the area.

He hails from the City of San Fernando and was detailed at the Central Luzon Police Regional Office before he was deployed to Marawi City.

On May 25, Placido and another Kapampangan police official were reported killed during the siege by the local terrorist group. However, their bodies were not immediately found as they were stuck in the middle of the clash site.

But after several unsuccessful attempts, government security forces led by Placido’s brother, Superintendent Anthony Placido, on September 14 found skeletal remains in a police uniform with Edwin’s name plate.

Police forces conducted retrieval operations after reclaiming Barangay Marinaut which was one of the villages that was seized by the Maute group.

Placido’s remains are expected to be sent home to Pampanga within this week after forensic examination confirmed his DNA, his mother Nora said in an interview.

Placido’s family is now hoping that the fallen soldier’s remains will be laid in the Libingan ng mga Bayani alongside his fellow soldiers who lost their lives for the country.