Sunday, July 06, 2008 31 more bodies reach Cebu 2 weeks after disaster struck By Katrina A. Balmaceda Sun.Star Correspondent
EVEN as 31 more bodies from the sunken mv Princess of the Stars arrived in Cebu City, viewing at the Cosmopolitan Funeral Homes on Junquera St. was ordered stopped.
Although angered by the thought of a long wait, relatives yesterday decided to cancel their plan to go to the different islands off Romblon to search for bodies themselves.
The plan was formed earlier because of rumors that survivors were suffering from amnesia in one of the islands near where the ferry capsized last June 21 at the height of typhoon Frank.
Dr. Renato Bautista, National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) medico-legal division chief, explained to relatives that trying to identify the bodies by merely looking at the corpses is “practically impossible” now.
They now have to rely on deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) testing instead of flocking to Cosmopolitan, where the bodies were brought for embalming, he said.
Blood samples taken from relatives and family members will be sent abroad for cross-matching with DNA samples taken from the victims, and the process could take months.
At 2 p.m. yesterday, mv Cagayan Princess dropped anchor in Cebu City, carrying the remains of 24 males and 7 females.
That brought to 203 the total number of bodies sent to Cebu so far, out of the over 800 passengers and crew who boarded the ship. Less than 60 survivors were confirmed.
City Councilor Gerardo Carillo said many of the bodies were those exhumed in Burias Island in Romblon.
The bodies arrived as the next of kin lined up to pre-register, and the International Police (Interpol) specialists took their personal information.
Supt. Anthony Obenza of the Philippines Center on Transitional Crime (PCTC) said pre-registration was made to shorten the interview that relatives should undergo when their blood samples are taken for DNA testing.
At least 3,000 DNA kits provided for by the Interpol are expected to arrive in Cebu City this week. Testing is expected to begin by Tuesday or Wednesday.
Sri Lankan Nimal Mahagamage, Interpol regional bureau management and coordination director, will reportedly come to Cebu to supervise the kits’ use.
International Commission for Missing Persons forensic expert Andreas Klauser assured the Interpol can send more if the kits are lacking.
The Cebu City Disaster Coordinating Council (CCDCC) will rearrange the Cebu City Sports Complex (CCSC) action center for the testing. The new layout will ensure privacy for the interview and blood sampling, Carillo said.
Tests
After being pre-registered yesterday, families and relatives were given priority numbers so they no longer have to stand in line next week.
As the waiting enters its third week, however, relatives and family members from outside Cebu City can no longer spend the night at the CCSC starting tomorrow.
But City Department of Social Welfare and Services (DSWS) Chief Kathy Yso said these relatives will be given lodging at the YMCA along Osmeña Blvd.
For the interview and blood sampling, documents like National Statistics Office (NSO)-authenticated birth certificates, marriage certificates, affidavits of relationship, and special power of attorney, are required.
This is to establish identity and check if the ones who give blood samples indeed have relatives or family members among the ferry passengers.
Paperwork
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) admitted that of the 57 survivors they found off Romblon, only 32 appeared in the Princess of the Stars passenger manifest.
The rest were from eight fishing boats that sank in the same area. The PCG expects to finish identifying the fishing vessels today.
NSO 7 Spokesman Noel Rafols said they have processed more than 1,500 documents in the past week.
Some of the documents, he said, are expected to arrive from their central office in Manila tomorrow or Tuesday.
Also, Carillo said volunteer lawyers from the Integrated Bar of the Philippines and the Young Lawyers’ Association of Cebu will drop by the CCSC tomorrow to provide legal assistance.
