Tuesday, September 30, 2008 P900T aid to CH to be paid for bills at forensic site
CEBU City Hall wants to use the P960,000 financial assistance from the National Government to pay for the electricity, water bills and other supplies needed when bodies of the mv Princess of the Starts victims arrive.
In a meeting yesterday, Vice Mayor Michael Rama, the International Police (Interpol) and other members of the disaster victim identification (DVI) team agreed to set aside the amount for future needs.
Rama said, though, that they still have to ask for authorization from the Department of National Defense (DND) if the expenses can be charged to the agency’s fund support.
Electricity
The electricity bill of the forensic site at the Cebu International Port (CIP) has already reached P100,113.82 for August and September alone.
“Interpol decided not to accept the money but instead told us to use it for the power, water and other incidental expenses in the coming weeks... We have already drafted a letter asking DND if they will allow it,” Rama told Sun.Star Cebu.
DND Secretary Gilberto Teodoro approved the release of the amount as refund to Interpol and other agencies’ expenses for the mobile morgue and refrigerated vans at the forensic site.
Rama said he expects there will be a lot of supplies needed when some 500 bodies are retrieved from the sunken vessel, which will be refloated anytime.
To be fully prepared for their tasks, Rama and the DVI decided to have the forensic site blessed on Thursday.
“We will schedule a blessing of the forensic site because there is vital work that needs to be done here. We’re talking about 500 bodies that have to be processed in that area. We will ask for guidance that operations will be continuous and there will be no disruptions,” he said.
The DVI also reminded the National Disaster Coordinating Council, Regional Development Coordinating Council and the Office of the Civil Defense of their request for the consolidated report on the total number of missing persons after typhoon Frank hit the country last June 21.
Without the list, the DVI team composed of Interpol and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) cannot determine the quantity of supplies needed and the length of their stay in Cebu. (LCR)
