Sunday, June 29, 2008 Conflicting claims test system By Allan I. Varquez Sun.Star Staff Reporter
ONE of the 49 bodies ferried to Cebu from the mv Princess of the Stars became the first special case so far for the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) forensics experts from Manila.
A family from Barangay Punta Princesa, Cebu City identified the body as that of Jovelyn Requilme, 16, going by the birthmark above her left eyebrow.
But Noel Quirante said it was his older sister Julie Mendoza, 43, a beautician aboard the mv Princess of the Stars. Quirante still has to present valid documents to the NBI, though.
The conflicting claims demonstrate part of the challenges ahead as families go search for a familiar face amid the grim rows of bodies.
From more than a hundred people who visited the funeral parlor yesterday, Leonida Laborte from Barangay Bulacao, Talisay City identified a loved one: her daughter, Diana Rose, 18.
So far, only seven of the 49 bodies have been identified. Her worst fears confirmed, Leonida went out of the morgue wailing.
Renato Bautista, who has been a forensic expert for 29 years of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in Manila, said that in case of conflicting claims, a DNA test can be conducted, comparing samples from the body and the closest biological relative among the claimants.
It will be a long and expensive process.
“Magkamatay gyud mi ani. Dili gyud namo ihatag nang akong anak (We will not let them have my daughter),” Jovelyn’s father, Melvin, said. Aside from the birthmark above her left eyebrow, his daughter had another mark the size of an infant’s hand on her right thigh.
A close friend of Jovelyn, Princess, said that before Jovelyn left for Manila last February, she wore a silver ring with her nickname “Rose” engraved on it.
She said that Jovelyn left to work in a household in Manila, as her way of helping her parents and two brothers, but was persuaded to return by her mother and namesake. She was scheduled to leave Manila for Cebu last June 12, but because the ship was full, she had her ticket rescheduled to June 20.
The two claimant-families had a short confrontation the other day.
As of yesterday, Quirante or any member of his family had yet to return to the Cosmopolitan Funeral Homes along Junquera St.
Before the families were allowed to view the bodies, they received a briefing at the second floor of the funeral parlor to help them cope with the gruesome stench and sight ahead.
Between sobs, Juana Dasian, 33, asked members of the rescue team at the entrance how she could identify her brother Bernie Bellanizo, 20, when the bodies were beyond recognition.
She said they live in Barangay Ablayan, Dalaguete town and it has been difficult for them to come and go from Cebu City to get information about her missing brother.
Two tents were set up in front of the funeral parlor where relatives stayed while waiting for their turn to view the bodies in the morgue.
The NBI’s Bautista said that cadavers that already have claimants will not be released until the claimant presents records such as fingerprints from NBI files, a voter’s ID, police clearance or school ID, or dental records.
“Those that cannot be claimed or have two or more claimants will have to be placed inside the freezer. To ensure they are not lost or mistakenly released, a tag number will be clipped on the bodies, the body bag and the coffins,” he said.
The identification process will also determine how soon financial assistance can reach the victims’ families.
Barili, Cebu Mayor Teresito Marinas said that after an emergency meeting last Monday, the town officials agreed to allocate at least P10,000 each for the families of the 16 victims from that town.
But Marinas said the victims either remained missing or their bodies have yet to be identified by their families. (With GMD)
