Barbasa family doubts self-immolation finding, seeks another autopsy

By Jennifer P. Rendon

Police and the family of Frank Rois Barbasa agree on one thing: The charred body found in a subdivision in Pavia, Iloilo, was that of the nursing student.

But while police investigators believe there was no foul play in Barbasa’s death, his family still has doubts that it was a case of self-immolation.

This prompted the family to ask medico-legal expert Dr. Owen Lebaquin, a retired Philippine National Police officer, to conduct another autopsy to “determine the exact cause of death by histopathological examination.”

Lebaquin confirmed that Barbasa’s father asked him to conduct a second autopsy on the charred body.

However, he declined to give details on the result of the autopsy, citing a “gag order.”

According to various sources, Lebaquin conducted the post-mortem examination on the morning of May 4.

The second autopsy reportedly appeared to “favor” the earlier police report.

Reports said it would not affect the course of the investigation, as the second autopsy would determine whether the first examination was properly conducted.

During the second autopsy, Lebaquin reportedly took representative tissue and organ samples, particularly from the lungs and trachea, for histopathological examination.

The official result may be released within a month.

The first autopsy showed that Barbasa died of burn injuries.

There were also indications that he had inhaled gasoline fumes.

Meanwhile, both Iloilo Police Provincial Office director Col. Bayani Razalan and Pavia police chief Capt. Ritz Field Presquito said they were unaware that the family had requested a second autopsy.

“But it’s fine with us. At least, masa-satisfy ang family n’ya. It might help na masagot ang mga tanong sa isip nila,” Razalan said.

For purposes of the investigation, Razalan said police would indicate that Barbasa died of self-inflicted injuries.

“But if witnesses will surface later on, we could amend that. Anyways, murder has a prescriptive period of 20 years,” Razalan said.

When the body was found, speculation spread that it could be a murder case.

However, police said a breakthrough in the investigation came after Barbasa’s family was able to access his mobile phone.

According to reports from various sources, the phone’s media gallery contained a video of the place where the body was found.

Barbasa appeared to be emotional while taking a video of the area.

Police said the phone’s search history allegedly showed that Barbasa had looked for information on how many liters of gasoline would be needed to char a human body.

Investigators also tracked Barbasa’s movements and found that he had gone to a gasoline station in Mandurriao, Iloilo City, to buy gasoline.

The family acknowledged that the body was their relative’s based on “secondary identifiers.”

These included a scar from an injury on his left forearm.

Barbasa reportedly stood 5 feet, 10 inches to 5 feet, 11 inches tall.

The burned body measured around 5 feet, 10.04 inches.

He also reportedly owned boxer briefs similar to those found on the body.

Police earlier said a certain Allan, 48, of Zone 6, Barangay Ungka 1, Pavia, told investigators that his brother saw what appeared to be a grass fire near the concrete wall of Green Meadows Subdivision in Barangay Ungka 1 around 4:30 a.m. on April 29.

Allan’s brother scaled the wall to douse the fire with water.

It was only then that he saw that what was burning was a human body.

Upon investigation, police found a wallet, a power bank, and a mobile phone on the other side of the fence.

The wallet contained a student driver’s license and a vaccination card bearing the name Frank Rois Barbasa.

Further police investigation showed that Barbasa, 22, had also been reported missing.

Barbasa was a graduating nursing student of the University of San Agustin.

He was from Barangay Punta Tabuc, Roxas City, Capiz, and had been temporarily staying at his aunt’s house in Barangay Caingin, La Paz, Iloilo City.