|
Friday, June 17, 2005
Council assigns committee to handle unclaimed cadavers
The Zamboanga City Council tasked Thursday its committee on women and family welfare to look into the possibility of coming up with a comprehensive plan that would guide agencies involved in handling unclaimed cadavers or similar incidents in the future.
At the same time, the City Council during its session debunked speculations that concerned agencies committed some lapses in the process of retrieving two cadavers dumped in a salt basin in Sta. Catalina last week.
Velasquez said the proposed comprehensive plan would serve as guidelines for the agencies concerned such as the police, health workers, social workers, administrators of rehabilitation centers and administrators of funeral parlors to avert similar controversies that arose in Sta. Catalina last week.
Councilor Manuel Dalipe stood on privilege during the session yesterday, June 16, and lashed out on what he termed as procedural lapses committed by agencies concerned and singled out City Hall for failure to immediately on the situation.
He earlier proposed that the Council's committee on social welfare and women and family jointly probe into the alleged lapses and committed by those concerned in treating the corpses of two women dumped in a secluded area in Sta. Catalina. He claimed that the bodies were left to decompose in the crime scene posing health hazards on the neighborhood in the barangay.
The majority, however, believed otherwise, and stressed that the city followed the proper procedure in handling the situation.
Councilor Elias Enriquez, chair of the committee on peace and order, said the incident was a police matter and that no agency, based on the existing law, could retrieve the body until after the police are through with their task.
"The incident was a police matter and the police was in control of the situation," Enriquez declared. He also stressed that Mayor Celso Lobregat, after having been informed of the incident, immediately ordered the agencies concerned to do what is appropriate and proper.
"No lapses were committed and the proper procedures were followed. We are all part of government, why should we blame each other?" Enriquez added.
Velasquez said the proposed comprehensive plan will be all encompassing and include existing national and local laws such as the anti-trafficking of women law, the law providing special protection of children as well as ordinance 872 of 1987 authored by Councilor Asbi Edding.
The lady councilor said the study that her committee would make would not only cover how to retrieve cadavers, medical records, post mortem requirements, autopsy, ecclesiastical services and even the role of parents.
Councilor Abdurahman Nuno emphasized that children are the responsibilities of their parents. He lamented that most parents do not even care to know the whereabouts of their children at night.
"Parents have the responsibility to see to it that their children do not stay out late in the evening so they would not be involved in these kind of activities," the councilors stressed.
(June 17, 2005 issue)
Write letter to the editor.Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board.Click here. |
|
[return to top]
[home]
[network page]
|
LOCAL NEWS
BUSINESS
OPINION
SPORTS
LIFESTYLE
FEATURE
|
