Tuesday, August 12, 2008 Forensic site done by Wednesday, says official
THE forensic site is expected to be done tomorrow after the 16 20-foot flatpack containers arrived in Cebu last Saturday. Construction started immediately.
Cebu City Vice Mayor Mike Rama inspected the site yesterday and learned that the frames for the three buildings were already standing and the building of walls were underway.
“Hopefully we should be done before Wednesday,” said Ronny Karlsen, Asian regional manager of Normeca, the manufacturer of mobile hospitals and laboratories.
“The construction will be done by Wednesday. But this is not the only thing. The water connection will be set up by Wednesday as well,” said Rama.
Several flatpacks were slightly damaged last Sunday after these were not properly transferred from the vessel to the cargo trucks. Karlsen said the damage was not serious.
“The damage was on the outside of the flatpacks. Only the protective casing was damaged and it did not delay the construction,” said Karlsen.
Karlsen said they would repair the casing once operations at the forensic site are over and the structures repacked.
Construction of three buildings at the forensic site is underway. One building will serve as a mobile laboratory. A smaller building will serve as office. The third building will serve as a storage room for equipment.
Rama said the forensic site will be fully operational before the bodies retrieved from the sunken mv Princess of the Stars will arrive.
Rama said the health department will inspect the bodies that will arrive in Cebu.
“The Department of Health has to come in and check whether the bodies that are coming in are not contaminated,” said Rama.
Rama was worried that there might be some bodies carrying diseases.
Rama expressed dismay for the lack of support from the National Government in identifying the victims of the sinking.
“And to think, this is a national disaster,” Rama said.
He plans to e-mail President Arroyo, through her daughter Luli, to inform her about what they are doing.
“The letter will inform the President about the operations at the center, of the work that the Interpol has done, of the money that Interpol has spent, and it will inform her of the assumption of work by Interpol and the expenses,” Rama said.
Rama hoped the letter will result in funds coming from the National Government so the Interpol would not have to spend for everything.
“We want also to have an agency identified from which we can seek help if we need it,” Rama said.
Rama said it is better if there is only one person or agency where they can go to for their requests.
Meanwhile, Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña said he is not pressuring the Sulpicio Lines Inc. (SLI) to refund City Hall for what it spent for the action center it organized immediately after the June 21 sinking of mv Princess of the Stars.
Osmeña, however, said the company should be the one to spend for the food of Interpol personnel who are here to help identify the bodies of victims.
“It’s their passengers. We are not even trying to collect a refund, when we should. Ayaw na lang… because I don’t want to make it an issue of money,” he said.
He early labeled the company “mukhang pera,” for asking the City once to endorse to the national government that its ships be allowed to sale as soon as possible.
Last July 4, the City Council appropriated P5.8 million for the action center’s operations.
Of the amount, P2 million to P3 million came from the City’s coffers since P900,000 came from the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
The City also initially planned to collect a certain amount representing SLI’s share in the operation of the action center.
He also turned down the possibility of having the City Government take care of the food of the Interpol personnel, saying SLI has the time and resources for it.
The City, he said, has already done its part when it took care of the grieving families and relatives’ needs just hours after the tragedy. (EPB/With RHM)
