Forensic experts heeded the advice of the Department of Health 7 and temporarily stopped showing photos of cadavers at the Cosmopolitan Funeral Homes.
The Regional Crime Laboratory 7 will instead direct relatives of missing passengers of last Friday’s ferry collision to a private area, said Chief Insp. Benjamin Lara.
Pictures of retrieved bodies were projected on a screen at the mortuary’s lobby so these could be identified.
"We only did it to help collect data and possible description of the passengers," Lara said, adding that they had no intention to cause any trauma.
As of yesterday, 75 bodies were taken to funeral homes. Some 29 remain unidentified.
Lara urged relatives of missing victims to go home and await results of their investigation.
DNA testing
Forensic experts started processing the bodies for Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) last Tuesday. They took specimens for a deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) examination.
They also took specimens from the missing passengers’ relatives for DNA comparison.
Lara said the results may take up to a year, depending on the cross-matching of the DNA.
"They have to understand the sheer volume of the samples that were taken from the cadavers and their families," he said.
To speed up the identification, he also urged relatives to submit dental and fingerprint records of their missing loved ones.
Dr. Dindo Herrera, a dental expert from Camp Crame, arrived in Cebu yesterday to help with the examination of the bodies.
Delays
“They don't have to worry because we will notify them once Camp Crame will release the results," Lara said.
As of 6 p.m. yesterday, 18 cadavers were released from the funeral homes, said Rosalina Allorada of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) 7.
Meanwhile, Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama wants to speed up the release of the bodies retrieved from the sunken passenger vessel of 2Go Group Inc. mv St. Thomas Aquinas.
He learned from the Cosmopolitan Funeral Homes that the dispatching of the bodies was delayed because claimants have yet to fulfill all requirements.
Bong Ebo of Cosmopolitan said claimants need to secure clearances from the National Bureau of Investigation, the Talisay City Health Department, 2Go and the DSWD.
Jenifer Abastillas of DSWD said they require the spouse of a victim to present a marriage certificate.
If the claimant is a mother or father, they have to submit a birth certificate of their child.
For those who cannot present a marriage certificate or a birth certificate, she said they can present a certification from the mayor of their local government units or barangay captain and any ID issued by a government agency.
Fewer requirements
Ebo said the requirements should be cut down to hasten the release.
The mayor said the matter will have to be addressed immediately.
Based on the records of Cosmopolitan, of the 47 bodies that have been identified, 19 have yet to be released. The 47 bodies form part of the 75 bodies that have been retrieved from the sunken vessel.
Ebo said the 19 bodies are ready for shipment but there’s no available vessel to ferry them to their respective places.
In a related development, Rommie Cal, who is a representative of Surigao del Norte Gov. Sol Matugas, said they will extend a P5,000-financial assistance to survivors from their province.
He said that based on the initial data they’ve, there are 10 passengers from Surigao who survived the incident, 10 deaths, and 20 who remain missing.
Cal and Matugas were in Cebu City yesterday.
Meanwhile, Engr. Noel Kimmayong of Malayan Towage said they already plugged three holes on mv St. Thomas Aquinas that were identified as the sources of the oil leak.
As a result, the oil leak of 300 liters per hour in the past days became 150 liters per hour yesterday. "This is very good news," he said.
Kimmayong said they and the team from Nippon Salvage will today dive to the site where the vessel sank to see if there are still other holes that need to be plugged.
Friday 23 August 2013
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/local-news/2013/08/23/cadavers-photos-taken-down-prevent-trauma-299306
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