NZ victim's brother gives DNA sample

CEBU, Philippines - The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) 7 on Friday took blood samples from a resident of Naga City, Cebu so it could be used to help identify the body of his brother who died of the recent earthquake in New Zealand.

Thomas Andrew Redoble was accompanied by Colonel Francisco Dalawampu, chief of the Philippine Center on Transnational Crime/International Police-Visayas, when he went to the NBI-7 office for blood extraction.

Dalawampu told The FREEMAN that he received instructions from their head office in Manila to secure blood samples from relatives of victims in New Zealand whose bodies are still not identified.

The unit headed by Dalawampu is directly under the Office of the President in Malacañang whose task is to attend to crimes involving foreigners and to coordinate with the foreign countries involved.

Thomas Andrew is the brother of Jessie Lloyd Redoble, who is among the casualties of the New Zealand earthquake.

Dalawampu explained that the DNA samples taken from Redoble would be sent to the NBI-Manila so the results can be taken to New Zealand by Rodoble’s two other relatives on March 7.

 DNA blood types can be used to help prove genealogy, ancestry, and in some cases, paternity. The original way of DNA testing is through a blood sample, the common practice today.

Dalawampu explained that the results of the DNA testing taken from Thomas Andrew will be matched with the DNA samples of unidentified bodies. (FREEMAN)