Around 16 cadavers were found on the floor and inside several food freezers in an abandoned building in Barangay Basak, San Nicolas, Cebu City on Tuesday (Aug. 17).
Three of the bodies are suspected of having been infected with COVID-19.
City acting mayor Michael Rama said in the Aug. 17 Palace briefing that they will “seriously look” into the matter, and that he has ordered Councilor Dave Tumulak to “go deeper” to identify what is happening.
A garbage collector who lives beside the building said the personnel of a funeral parlor have been bringing the cadavers into the building during dawn to avoid the public.
Tumulak said they have already instructed the funeral parlor owner to stop dumping cadavers in the old building.
“Inutusan na natin ang may-ari ng punerarya na ihinto ang kanilang ginagawa. Sabi ng may-ari na ang ibang mga punerarya doon idini-deposit ang mga bangkay,” he said.
The owners said their mortuary is already full, prompting them and two other funeral service providers to use the building as a storage facility.
“Ang taas na ng schedule sa cremation, umaabot na ng sampung araw. Ang ibang mga funeral [parlors], nagpatulong na rin. Inaamin namin na may lapses kami diyan,” St. Bernard Funeral Homes manager SJ Palomar said.
The city government will file charges against these funeral establishments in case of possible negligence. Meanwhile, the city health office will conduct a sanitation inspection on the establishments.
The government urged its residents to coordinate with the local health office for burial assistance.
Meanwhile, the entire island of Cebu recorded 628 COVID-19 fatalities within 17 days this month. – Report from John Aroa/PTV Cebu/AG- jlo
