No definite plan yet on remaining 'Stars' victims

CEBU - The local team tasked to identify the remains of the Typhoon Frank victims, especially those who perished in the sinking of the M/V Princess of the Stars, yesterday clarified that they have not yet come up with a definite plan on what to do with the remaining unidentified bodies.

Dr. Renato Bautista, head of the National Bureau of Investigation-Disaster Victim Identification, yesterday called for an immediate press conference after they received numerous calls from relatives of typhoon victims expressing surprise and worry over recent reports that come out in the media that a mass burial or cremation of the remaining corpses is already set.

“We want to clarify that no plans have been made, no decision has been reached. It has to be decided solely by the relatives themselves,” Bautista said.

He pointed out that it would be up for the victims’ relatives to decide if they want the bodies cremated, put in mass burial or a combination of both.

Bautista, who had already worked in several worst sea tragedies that hit the country, cited the Super Ferry 14 incident where some relatives decided to put up three mass burial sites while others opted for a mass cremation wherein the ashes were placed in urns.

Of the first batch of bodies, only 63 out of the 275 were unclaimed and unidentified because of the absence of the DNA mass results and the inadequacy of the Anti-Mortem DNA samples from the relatives.

NBI-DVI has already released 235 bodies, which were DNA assisted. Forty of these bodies were identified and released during the early stage through dental records and fingerprints as these were not yet deteriorated.

Bautista said for the second batch, there were 199 body bags recovered.

“We cannot say the exact number of bodies since one bag may contain different body parts of different persons,” Bautista said.

As of yesterday, four were already identified through DNA in the second batch and the names are to be known today.

Furthermore, the formal turn over of Interpol equipment to the NBI-DVI is finally scheduled on February 5.

Rose Marie Borromeo, Interpol liaison officer, confirmed that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo already gave her nod to attend the affair.

Other than Arroyo, Interpol Sec. Gen. Ronald Noble and Director General for International Commission on Missing Persons will also be around.

To be turned over are the mobile morgue facility, computers and 239 case files of victims. —Ferliza C. Contratista/WAB(THE FREEMAN)