MALUNGON, SARANGANI – The skeletal remains of a 70-year-old man who had been missing for over a month were unearthed on Tuesday afternoon, October 22, 2025, in Sitio Dumanig, Barangay Upper Mainit, Malungon, Sarangani Province.
According to authorities, barangay tanods discovered the buried human bones in a sugarcane plantation around 3:00 PM. The remains were later identified as those of Mario Patatag Braquel, a married resident of Barangay Lower Mainit, who had been missing since September 4, 2025.
Braquel was last seen drinking with two individuals who are now considered persons of interest in his death. His wife positively identified the remains based on the clothes and personal belongings found at the site.
Family members and relatives of the victim were reportedly the first to locate the burial site near a tree in the said area.
Police investigators are now conducting a thorough probe to determine the motive behind the incident and to identify those responsible for the elderly man’s death.