DAVAO CITY—The fish vendor who died from an improvised explosive left by New People’s Army rebels retreating from a raid on the box and plastic plant of Lapanday Foods Corp. last month was laid to rest on Thursday afternoon.
The remains of Larry Timbal Buenafe, 34, who died on April 29, were laid to rest, with Mayor Sara Duterte among those condoling with the family.
Buenafe’s wife, Rose, recalled that Larry was just doing his usual routine when he left for work, a day after their ninth wedding anniversary.
Rose said Larry “was her everything,” and letting him go “is painful” especially for their two children “who still wish to see their father someday.”
“My son told me that we should keep all his awards from school so that we can show it to his father when we meet him again,” Rose said.
Rose said her husband did everything to give his children the best in life, as he wished to see his children finish their studies through his hard work.
“He always strived hard for our daily survival. He would wake up as early as 3 a.m. to work and even slept late at night just to ensure he can sustain the needs of our family,” she said.
Duterte, who broke the news to Rose on the day of the incident, wished that Larry will rest in peace.
“When a civilian dies because of an IED blast, he is never a victim. We cannot demand justice. #Propagandalangyan sabi niyo, and we are not allowed to grieve,” the mayor posted on her Instagram account, assailing the NPA attack.
It also reached Duterte’s attention that the funeral house where the two dead bodies of the NPA rebels were brought to sent a bill to the city government. The mayor did not say if the city would pay for the funerals of the rebels, whose bodies were still unclaimed at press time.
