Human rights groups say the delay is not a mere bureaucratic lapse but a grave violation of international humanitarian law (IHL) and the dignity of the dead. The families of Hilaus and Dayandante have authorized the Ilocos Human Rights Alliance (IHRA) and CHRA in retrieving the remains and arranging the burial. Human rights workers who accompanied the family described the questioning as particularly distressing because it occurred while the mother was still trying to secure the release of her son’s body. “The situation in Abra reflects a continuing human rights crisis confronting Indigenous and rural communities across the Cordillera,” Ton said. They linked the withholding of the remains to a broader pattern of militarization and human rights violations in the province.