MANILA - Five female victims could have been physically molested by the gunmen who massacred more than 50 people in Ampatuan, Maguindanao last November 23, police said Thursday.

The Philippine National Police-Crime Laboratory (PNP-CL) said that the five women’s private parts have traces of semen, based on its initial forensic investigations.

The massacre was allegedly led by Datu Unsay town Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr., who has been charged with 25 counts of murder.

As of this posting, the PNP-CL was still examining the body of another female victim.

The PNP-CL said they have finished conducting autopsies on 37 bodies, which include 31 male and 6 female victims.

It said the bodies of other massacre victims were brought to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) for separate tests.

15 women not raped

The NBI had said that 15 of the female massacre victims have tested negative for rape.

NBI Medico-Legal Division chief Atty. Floresto Arizala said that in vaginal smear tests done on the victims, none of the 15 female victims, including Mangudadatu’s wife and three of his female relatives, had human sperm traces, ruling out rape.

"Based on the result of the autopsy and study of semenology, there were no signs of recent carnal knowledge on 15 female victims. Wala signs na sinalbahe sila [There were no signs that they were abused]," Arizala said.

The NBI said that the opening of the zippers and buttons of the women victims could be due to the bloating of the bodies.

He also clarified that despite the fact that sperm traces disappear within 72 hours, and the tests were done on the 4th day after the incident, NBI doctors found no physical traces of rape on the victims.

Suspicions of rape arise due to reports that some of the female victims’ private parts were exposed.

The PNP-CL and the NBI are also conducting ballistic tests on spent bullet shells and slugs recovered from two mass graves in Barangay Salman, Ampatuan town. With a report from Gus Abelgas, ABS-CBN News

(The names of the alleged rape victims have been deleted from this article in response to requests from some readers. -- Eds.)