Friday, June 27, 2008
NBI forensics expert says not all bodies of sinking victims might be identified
By Linette C. Ramos Sun.Star Staff Reporter
With Mia E. Abellana
A VETERAN in forensics, Dr. Renato Bautista has seen the country’s worst sea tragedies and disasters. He has helped identify thousands of bodies that are often beyond recognition.
In each incident, however, Bautista does not guarantee the identification of all bodies recovered from the sea or areas hit by a landslide and other calamities.
Bautista, chief of the National Bureau of Investigation’s (NBI) Medico-Legal Division, and 13 other forensic experts from the central office are preparing to identify as
many bodies as possible when they start arriving today.
He expects the task to be tedious, but they are prepared to do everything their expertise and technology would allow in identifying victims of the sinking of the mv Princess of the Stars.
“We are prepared to go all the way, meaning we will process all the recovered bodies, subject them to a DNA test and wait for the results, which could take months or even a year, depending on the specimen available,” Bautista told Sun.Star Cebu.
Because the NBI team could not bring their equipment to Cebu, the tests will be done in their Manila office.
Today, they will be tagging and identifying the bodies based on identification marks available, the clothes they are wearing and other data that may be recovered from their wallets and belongings, if any.
Bautista has been practicing forensic medicine for the last 30 years and was part of the team that responded to the sinking of mv Doña Paz in 1987 and mv Doña Marilyn in 1988 and the bombing of SuperFerry 14 in 2004.
He also headed the medico-legal team in the Guinsaugon landslide tragedy in 2006 and led the Philippine team that responded to the tsunami in Phuket, Thailand in 2005.
“There’s not much difference in identifying the bodies of victims of a landslide or a disaster at sea, but one thing good about this is at least, they would still have wallets
and identification cards with them and they would still be wearing their clothes, it will be easier,” said Bautista.
This explains why he has requested the search and rescue teams at the site of the sinking of the vessel not to remove anything from the bodies.
Bautista said, however, that there are no guarantees that all the bodies they will process will be identified. He said it will depend on the condition of the specimen they can recover.
“There is always no assurance that all recovered bodies will be identified, not even through a DNA test. It will all depend on the condition of the specimen. If the body has decomposed and there are no chromosomes, how can we get DNA samples?” he continued.
In Phuket, for example, of the 7,000 victims of the tsunami, almost 1,000 bodies were not identified by forensic experts who came from 30 different countries.
Bautista said he intends to get specimens from all the bodies and compare these to at least two of their closest relatives, either the parents, siblings or children, to make sure that the families will claim the right bodies.
The results will also be used for the database of all victims to safeguard the shipping company and authorities against possible false claims and law suits in the future.
But they could have a shortage of reagents needed in the DNA testing, and would have to ask Sulpicio Lines Inc. to replace the reagents they would use for the family members.
DNA testing in a private institution could cost at least P20,000 per test, he said. In this case, they would ask Sulpicio to just replace the reagents they will use, which would cost around P300,000 for 50 tests.
In an interview at the Cebu City Disaster Coordinating Council action center last night, Sulpicio Lines Inc. legal counsel Manuel Espina said the company could pay for the reagents.
Meanwhile, the Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 has prepared the mortuary of the St. Ignatius Chapel and the entire quadrangle of the Camp Sergio Osmeña Sr. for as
many caskets as it can accommodate for viewing of unidentified bodies.
PRO 7 Director Ronald Roderos said those who want to view the bodies will first have to go through the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) at the action center in the Cebu City Sports Complex.
The DSWD will sort details of the recovered bodies and match these with descriptions of missing persons.
Rodero urged relatives to prepare documents such as a list of identifiable marks, marriage and birth certificates and photos (see related story). He said relatives will not be allowed to enter if they do not have clearances from the DSWD.
This, he said, was to make sure things were done in an orderly manner.
Only two persons from each family will be allowed in the PRO 7. He said that before the bodies are brought to the PRO 7, these will already have been embalmed and gone through the forensic processes.
Roderos said they will use the mortuary, the vacant space outside the mortuary in front of the chapel and the quadrangle in front of the PRO 7 grandstand.
Tents from the Cebu City Government will be put up at the quadrangle to accommodate more caskets.
Bodies that have already been identified will remain at the funeral parlor’s freezers.
Regional chaplain, Supt. Luciano Rosaroso, is also set to hold masses at the chapel.
The bodies expected to arrive today will remain at the PRO 7 for two to three days before they are brought back to the funeral parlor to give way to another batch of unidentified bodies.
Once bodies are identified, Roderos said forensic experts and a city health officer will be there to sign the death certificate and release the body to the family.
Roderos has also ordered a patrol car and uniformed and covert police officers to secure the area.
He said they will be open 24 hours for viewing.
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (June 27, 2008 issue)
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