A Navy diver who participated in the retrieval of bodies trapped in the sunken ferry Asia South Korea last Dec. 30 has admitted taking a soggy P100 bill from the wallet of one victim to buy cigarettes.
Naval Task Force 51 commander Aurelio Agudelo and his deputy, Capt. Alvin Urbi, told The Freeman the diver identified himself in a meeting the other day as the one alluded to in news reports as having taken the money.
A Navy press release signed by Maj. Vivencio Valencia Jr., the public information officer of the Naval Forces Central headquarters in Lapulapu City, identified the diver as Petty Officer Sergio Rabadon.
The statement said Rabadon readily admitted taking the money and asking a fisherman to buy some cigarettes with it but that he did so without any malice.
To prove that he had no intention of stealing, Rabadon did not touch any of the other belongings retrieved from the sunken ship. Rabadon had explained that the urge to smoke was prompted by the smell of decaying flesh from the retrieved body, the statement said.
The statement denied other Navy divers divided personal belongings retrieved from the site among themselves or that they allowed other bodies to just drift away.
It also said the Navy would not condone the act of Rabadon and that he might be punished according to military regulations.
The matter came to light when a video cameraman for a cable TV station claimed he was able to take footages of Rabadon taking the money from the wallet of a victim.
While being investigated, Agudelo said, the diver would be restricted to camp for a month doing menial jobs like cleaning toilets.
The Asia South Korea struck a reef near Bantayan Island on December 23 and sank. It was on its way to Iloilo from Cebu when it strayed off course.
At least 59 passengers have been confirmed dead while 699 others survived.