NBI blamed for ‘dumping’ of dead bodies

Monday, December 26, 2011

CAGAYAN DE ORO -- Feeling the heat of criticisms over the dumping of dead bodies at the city’s landfill, Mayor Vicente Emano claimed the decision was upon the recommendation of forensic experts.

“It was the NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) who suggested to put the dead bodies temporarily at the landfill. I was even surprised upon learning this. That’s why we requested Mr. (Henry) Sy of Napocor (National Power Corporation) to use their hangar,” Emano said in his radio program Sunday.

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The bodies were of those who died in flash floods that hit the city December 17 following torrential rains brought by Tropical Storm Sendong (international name: Washi)

Surprised of Emano’s claim, medico legal officer and team leader of the group Dr. Wilfredo E. Tierra vehemently denied the mayor’s claim, saying he and his team were surprised when they arrived in the city to see the cadavers dumped at the landfill in Barangay Carmen.

Like Emano, Tierra said it was his team who suggested using the hangar of Napocor to accommodate the dead bodies.

“Kaya nga we fast-track the conduct of the Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) and performed our job while waiting for Napocor’s response of our request, kaya bakit naman kami ang pinagbintangan? (why are we being accused now?)” Tierra said.

NBI Northern Mindanao Regional Director lawyer Jose Justo Yap said he was also surprised when he learned about Emano’s statement.

Yap said the NBI just performed “work-related tasks”.

Yap said Monday another 14 dead bodies were brought to Napocor’s hangar for DVI.

Since Wednesday last week, at least 80 corpses were buried in a mass grave in Bolonsiri Memorial Park in Barangay Camaman-an after having undergone DVI.

The City Government is preparing two more temporary mass graves for more corpses.

Tierra said a new team of forensic experts from Manila took over the conduct of the DVI in the city.

He said Dr. Ronald Baluyot and Dr. Nicasio Botin are now doing the DVI along with Dr. Tommy Uy and Cha Labrador of NBI-Northern Mindanao.

“Nag-shifting kami pero babalik pa rin kami by Monday next week,” he said.

Death toll

In a related development, Navy sailors, police, firefighters and fishermen who joined hands in a wider search for dead bodies found more Monday, pushing the death toll to more than 1,200.

While more than 60,000 homeless from hundreds of flood-ravaged villages spent a miserable Christmas in jam-packed schools and gymnasiums, search teams retrieved an additional 150 bodies from the sea as far as 60 miles (100 kilometers) from worst-hit Cagayan de Oro and Iligan cities, Benito Ramos, National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council executive director, said.

The death toll as of Monday stood at 1,236, with about two-thirds of the bodies unidentified. With more bodies found floating farther away, Ramos said authorities sought the help of fishermen to scour the sea.

Personnel from the 4th Infantry Division (4ID) who were doing retrieval operations are utilizing sniffing dogs to identify buried corpses.

Major General Victor A. Felix, commander of the 4ID, ordered the K9 unit of the division to use all of its available assets to recover dead bodies that might still be buried or stuck under the thick mud, scattered debris and fallen objects in some areas affected by flash floods.

‘Fake’ victims

As relief goods continue to pour in, authorities have strengthened efforts to stop fake claimants of goods.

A number of people have been reportedly taking advantage of the goods distributed among “Sendong” victims in evacuation centers by pretending to be one of those affected by the storm.

Department of Social Welfare and Development Secretary Corazon Soliman said Monday the family access cards will be given to those who had been interviewed and "verified" as among those affected.

"We will be distributing family access cards that will show the bearers are indeed affected by 'Sendong'," Soliman said.

Call for donations continue to build up while victims recover from the damage brought “Sendong”. The United Nations last week launched an urgent appeal for $28 million to help an estimated 600,000 affected people, more than half the population of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan in the southern Mindanao region. (Annabelle L. Ricalde/Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro/AP/PNA/Sunnex)